EastEnders' Jessie Wallace's 'deep regret' that sparked rift with show bosses

04 October 2023 , 17:30

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Jessie shared her 'deep regret' over the incident (Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)

Jessie Wallace is a beloved member of the EastEnders cast, but it seems she's had her ups and downs behind the scenes over the years. The actress who is known for playing feisty Kat Slater on the BBC soap, previously sparked a rift with senior bosses on the show when she was arrested for allegedly attacking a police officer outside a nightclub.

She accepted a caution following the incident back in June 2022 and expressed her 'deep regret' over what happened. The 52-year-old was then called into a meeting at work and issued a warning by EastEnders bosses over her "unacceptable" behaviour. A BBC spokesperson told the Mirror at the time: "Senior bosses have spoken to Jessie Wallace about the incident and issued a clear warning that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable and Jessie has expressed her deep regret."

Jessie Wallace accepted a caution after allegedly attacking a police officer

Jessie's arrest came after the star attended a Madness gig in Thetford Forest, Suffolk. Later in the evening, the actress and a companion were spotted arguing outside a nightclub with police - with Jessie eventually arrested for public disorder. A police spokesman confirmed that a 50-year-old woman was cautioned after being held on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and drunk and disorderly conduct. "A 50-year-old woman was arrested early on Sunday morning in St Andrew's Street, Bury St Edmunds, on suspicion of assaulting a police officer / drunk and disorderly conduct and was released without charge after receiving a conditional caution," a statement shared with the Mirror reads.

To accept a conditional caution a suspect must sign a document confirming an admission to the offence along with details of what they did. Jessie has played Kat in the Walford-based soap on and off for more than two decades, but this wasn't the first time her behaviour had caused an issue for her at work. In 2020, she was written out of the soap by producers for two months following an "incident while filming".

Jessie said that she was ordered to "sort herself out" by show bosses before she returned from the two-month suspension. The actress was also banned from driving for three years in 2003 and fined £1,000 after she was found guilty of drink driving. She was one and a half times over the drink-drive limit when she was stopped in her Mercedes by police in Chelmsford. The star was previously banned from the road for 15 months some five years earlier for failing to take a breathalyser test.

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