Jessie Wallace is a British actress who is best known for playing Kat Slater on EastEnders on-and-off for nearly 20 years.
Along with her work on the British soap, Wallace has also appeared on shows such as The Bill and Redwater. From where she was born and raised to her personal life, here are five fast facts about the actress.
Who Is Jessie Wallace?
Wallace was born on September 25 in Enfield, North London, England, to father James and mother Annette. Wallace’s parents divorced when she was just 3 years old, so she and her sisters were raised by her father.
Before Becoming an Actress
After leaving school, Wallace decided to move to Portugal for seven months to work in a number of bars. She then returned to London to train as a professional makeup artist at the College of North East London and ended up working at the Royal Shakespeare Company. While there, she became friends with Iain Glen (who would go on to star in Game of Thrones), who encouraged her to apply for drama school.
Soap Career
Wallace was cast as Kat Slater in EastEnders in 2000 and stayed on the show until 2005. She returned to the series in 2010 but left once again in 2015. Then, in December 2017, it was announced that Wallace would be reprising her role as Kat once more, and she came back for a third time in 2018. She’s won a number of awards, including Best Actress at the British Soap Awards in 2011.
Dancing Queen
Along with being an actress, Wallace also competed on the sixth season of Strictly Come Dancing with partner Darren Bennett in September 2008. However, she was eliminated in week four of the competition.
Getting Personal With Jessie Wallace
She had daughter, Tallulah Lilac, with police officer Dave Morgan, on November 2, 2004, but they split up soon after. She was also in a relationship with Tim Arnold from April 2012 to February 2016, after being introduced by his mother (and EastEnders co-star) Polly Perkins.
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