EastEnders’ Kat Slater icon Jessie Wallace has been a regular on our TV screens for 25 years
BBC EastEnders legend Jessie Wallace is the mother of one grown-up daughter, and the similarities are uncanny.
Jessie, 54, joined the BBC soap in 2000 playing Kat Slater when the iconic family moved onto Albert Square.
From a harrowing sexual abuse storyline to announcing Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) as her daughter in the legendary “You ain’t my mother” scene, Kat’s time in Walford has not been short of drama.
Especially as her marriage to husband, Alfie Moon (Shane Richie), hasn’t always been smooth sailing, given that they have been married three times. They originally tied the knot on Christmas Day 2003 before breaking up and going their separate ways.
In 2014, the couple reconciled before divorcing six years later. However, love brought the pair back together, and Kat and Alfie married again in 2025, with the pair now running The Queen Vic pub together. Away from the BBC soap, Jessie leads a quieter family life with her fiancé and daughter.
Jessie’s rise to fame
Born Karen Jane Wallace in Enfield in 1971, Jessie’s father, James, was a telecommunications engineer, while her mum, Annette, worked as a secretary.
After finishing school, Jessie trained as a makeup artist at the College of North East London in Tottenham. She also spent two years working at the Royal Shakespeare Company, with the actress’s stage name, Jessie Wallace, a nod to her late grandmother.
Jessie later graduated from The Poor School, a drama college in London, in 1999, and while auditioning for acting roles, she worked in a local pub in Essex. In 1999, she secured her first TV job in The Bill as PC Karen Lace.
In September 2000, Jessie made her EastEnders debut as Kat Slater. After a five-year run, she left the soap but kept the door open for a potential return.
Jessie made her comeback to the BBC soap in 2010, alongside co-star Shane Richie, who portrays Kat’s on-again-off-again partner Alfie Moon. The duo quickly became one of EastEnders’ most iconic couples.
In 2015, Jessie and Shane temporarily left EastEnders to star in the spin-off series Redwater, which delved into Kat and Alfie’s past beyond Walford. They then left EastEnders in 2016.
In 2018, Jessie reprised her role as Kat, this time making a permanent return to EastEnders. She has stayed on the show ever since, with Shane eventually coming back full-time as well. Jessie has also starred in Wild at Heart, Miss Marie Lloyd, and The Road to Coronation Street.
Who is Jessie Wallace dating?
Since shooting to fame on EastEnders, Jessie’s romantic life has frequently made the headlines. Her initial brush with soap stardom coincided with a three-year romance with Paul Whitworth.
After splitting from Whitworth, Jessie enjoyed a brief fling with 25-year-old Andy Burton during a getaway, which quickly became tabloid fodder when Burton revealed their affair to the media, ending their relationship.
Jessie’s heart later led her to policeman Dave Morgan. The pair set up home together and welcomed their daughter, Tallulah Lilac, in November 2004, though they parted ways not long after.
Last Year, Jessie shared a rare photo of Tallulah Lilac on her Instagram page to celebrate her 21st birthday alongside the caption: “Happy 21st, my beautiful lulabalulah,” and followers were left stunned by the resemblance between the mum and daughter.
Cindy Beale star Michelle Collins wrote: “Mothers/daughters beautiful xxx”, while Bianca Jackson star Patsy Palmer added: “Beautiful like her mumma.”
A third follower chimed in: “Your daughter is stunning and looks like you,” as another confirmed: “She’s a beauty, definitely takes after you.”
In August 2011, she called off her lavish wedding to ex-fiance, catering boss Vince Morse, on her wedding day after she found out just the night before he had sent texts to an old flame.
Vince told the Sunday Mirror: “The wedding planner rang me and said, ‘Jessie’s called, she says it’s off’. I knew she wouldn’t change her mind. She trusted me implicitly, and I utterly betrayed her. I’m so ashamed.”
From 2012, Jessie dated Tim Arnold, the godson of Dot Cotton star June Brown, for four years after being introduced at the Soap Awards
Jessie is now set to marry carpenter Justin Gallwey, with the duo announcing their engagement in February 2023.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer
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