Who is EastEnders actress Jessie Wallace?
EASTENDERS legend Jessie Wallace is best known for her role as Kat Slater in the BBC soap opera.
Here's everything you need to know about the actress - from career to love life.
Who is Jessie Wallace?
Karen Jane Wallace, known professionally as Jessie Wallace, is a 50-year-old English actress.
Wallace was born in Enfield, North London and is of Irish ancestry.
Her parents divorced when she was aged three and was raised by her father.
She adopted her stage name after her late grandmother.
Once she finished school, Wallace went on to train as a makeup artist at the College of North East London in Tottenham and worked at Royal Shakespeare Company for two years.
This is where she met actor Iain Glen, who helped her apply for London drama college, where she eventually graduated in 1999.
While she was undertaking auditions, she worked as a barmaid in her local pub in Loughton, Essex.
Wallace made her first television appearance in an episode of the ITV police drama series The Bill in 1999.
Who is her EastEnders character Kat Slater?
Kat Slater, a.k.a. Kathleen Moon, arrived in Walford in 2000 with her family: dad Charlie, grandma Mo Harris and sisters Little Mo, Lynne and Zoe.
She managed to get a job as a barmaid in the Queen Vic and swiftly became a fan favourite for her mouthy, loud behaviour.
Some of her biggest storylines included the revelation that her sister Zoe was actually her daughter, and of course her turbulent on-off relationship with Alfie Moon.
Latest on Jessie Wallace
The scenes revealing Kat as Zoe's mother have been named as some of the most iconic in EastEnders history.
Jessie has won multiple awards for her portrayal of Albert Square legend Kat.
When she first arrived in Albert Square, Jessie won the British Soap Award for Best Newcomer in 2001. She was then nominated for Best Actress every year from 2002-2006, and again in 2011.
She won Most Popular Newcomer in 2001 and Most Popular Actress in 2003 at the National Television Awards.
The 50-year-old was also nominated in Most Popular Actress in 2002, 2004 and 2005.
Is she married and does she have children?
Jessie has never been married, but the star has had something of a colourful love life.
When she first joined EastEnders, she was coming to the end of a three-year relationship with Majorca-based ex-criminal, Paul Whitworth. When that relationship ended, she had a holiday romance with a 25-year-old American who sold his story.
She raises daughter Tallulah with policeman Dave Morgan, whom she met when she was arrested for driving while being one and half times over the limit.
In 2011, Jessie dumped fiance, Vince Morse, on their wedding day after he admitted to sending an explicit picture of the actress to his ex.
In 2016, Jessie split from her ex-crack addict boyfriend Tim Arnold after he became "tired" of fame and was later spotted hanging out with a mystery man in Liverpool.
She then dated father-of-five Paul Kempin, but the two split after two years together in 2019.
In May 2022, Wallace was spotted with her new man, a tradesman who did work on her home.
A source told the of their blossoming relationship: "It’s like a plotline from the soap – a classic Kat escapade.
"Jessie seems to be over the moon."
In March 2022, Wallace became a grandma as she announced her daughter Tallulah gives birth to a son.
What other TV shows has Jessie been in?
In 2010, she portrayed Patricia Phoenix in the television movie The Road to Coronation Street, which dramatised the creation of the show.
Wallace continued as Kat Slater for the 2017 spin-off, Kat and Alfie: Redwater.
She has also been in French and Saunders, Wild at Heart, A Class Apart, The Dinner Party and Miss Marie Lloyd.