Natalie Cassidy shows off some leg as she embraces the warmer weather in drop hem dress

It’s a well-known fact that when it starts to heat up in the UK, the clothes start to come off.

And on Friday Natalie Cassidy decided to do just that as she popped out for lunch during a break from filming EastEnders.

The 31-year-old gave passers-by an eyeful of her rather pasty legs wearing a black minidress which featured a drop hem.

Break time: Natalie Cassidy was seen picking up some lunch during a break from filming EastEnders

Clearly feeling the heat the actress picked herself up an ice coffee which she sipped on as she walked, after paying a visit to Boots.

The mother-of-one wore her hair off her face, shades and a pair of flat shoes to complete her off duty look.

Natalie, who recently made a return to the BBC soap reprising her role as Sonia,  currently at the centre of a lesbian love affair, despite previously quitting the soap over a gay storyline back in 2007.

Summer loving: Natalie was clearly enjoying the weather as she slipped in to a black minidress

In the cut: Natalie's skirt featured an interesting hemline that was long at the back

Sonia, who is married to Martin Fowler, has been getting close to gay pal Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White) in recent weeks and the pair kissed after Tina comforts Sonia over her mum Carol's cancer.

This change in sexual orientation for Sonia may come as a surprise to viewers considering Natalie quit the soap in 2007 over a similar plot.

However, BBC bosses have assured Natalie her new lesbian storyline won't be salacious for the sake of it, and indeed, viewers have seen a genuine friendship grow between Sonia and Tina in recent weeks.

Cool customer: Natalie wore a pair of sunglasses and carried an iced coffee to keep herself cool

And speaking last month Natalie admitted that her decision had been 'a little bit naive' during an interview with BBC Breakfast.

Speaking about the soap, she said: 'I don't know where it's going to go, but at the time it felt right for Sonia to do that. Sonia's dabbled with women before in the past.

'When I was younger actually - I think it was a little bit naive, but when I was 21, 22, I was a bit like, "Oh Sonia wouldn't do that, Sonia wouldn't do that". As an actress and as the character I thought, "Well actually, I'm not sure if Sonia would do this".'

'Now, funnily enough, lovely Dominic Treadwell-Collins has invited me back - the exec producer of the show - and really it's lovely, because I've had that past and I've got that background, so that's why this works.'