22 August 2023 , 16:00
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EastEnders fans are in for a treat this week thanks to some dramatic scenes involving Eve Unwin set to air over the next few days.
Soap fans had to fire up iPlayer on Monday night to watch Eve brutally attack Caz, the woman responsible for killing her twin sister in a drink-driving accident 30 years ago. Eve's wife Stacey and former lover Suki were shocked to find Eve attacking Caz in an alleyway and quickly acted to try and diffuse the tense situation.
EastEnders had been taken off air on Monday night in favour of live World Athletics coverage, but fear not soap fans who missed out on their instalment from Albert Square as fans who don't want to catch up on iPlayer will be able to tune in this evening as EastEnders enjoys a juicy double bill slot on BBC One from 7pm.
Ahead of normality resuming and EastEnders returning to our screens once again in a couple of hours time, we take a look at Eve actress Heather Peace 's life off-screen, with the soap star enjoying an idyllic family life with her wife and thriving in another career away from acting.
Two weddings
The EastEnders actress tied the knot with her wife in 2013 (heatherpeaceofficial/Instagram)Heather has been happily married to her long-term partner Ellie Dickinson for over a decade now, with the pair first entering into a civil partnership in 2013. After same-sex marriages became recognised in England and Wales in March 2014, Heather and Ellie converted their civil partnership into a marriage that year.
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Prior to same-sex marriages being legalised, Heather shared her views on the Catholic Church's stance on gay relationships and revealed she had no intention of ever tying the knot in a religious venue. Her comments in 2012 came as the Scottish Government prepared to publish the results of their consultation on same-sex marriage, which aroused fierce opposition from religious groups at the time.
"The problem comes with the Catholic Church saying, 'We’re going to be forced to marry gay people in our church.' That’s embarrassing," Heather declared in 2012. She continued: "I was brought up a Catholic, and in all honesty, on the happiest day of my life, if you really think I would set foot in any building that would rather I wasn’t there, then you’re having a laugh. Why would I want to sit with a priest when I don’t even believe any of that?"
Heather often pays tribute to her wife on social media (instagram.com/heatherpeaceofficial)Earlier this year, Heather marked ten years of wedded bliss with her wife as she shared a series of sweet family photos as she and wife Ellie celebrated a decade of love since they first entered into a civil partnership. The Lip Service actress made reference to the couple's three children – Annie, Jessie and Lola – as she shared the tribute on Instagram.
Captioning the images, Heather told her followers in July: "How has it been 10 years today since we married. Happy anniversary to my dear Ellie. And to all of my girls; Ellie, Annie, Jessie & Lola, you have brought both joy and calm to my life and I love you all with all of my heart."
House and kids
The happy couple share three children together (heatherpeaceofficial/Instagram)Waterloo Road star Heather and wife Ellie welcomed their first child Annie Mary into the world in April 2015, with their twin daughters Jessie and Lola joining the family in June 2017. Announcing the birth of the twins, Heather told her Instagram followers at the time: "So much love for the new arrivals we have been blessed with. Our daughters Jessie & Lola were born yesterday afternoon 6lb7oz and 6lbs. So many adventures ahead with these twins and their big sister Annie :) xxx."
The family-of-five all live together in Brighton, with Heather often showing off their interior on Instagram and giving her followers a sneak peek at their stylish home. As expected with three young children living their, Heather and Ellie's abode is a child-friendly property with toys adorning their home and play areas set up in the garden for their kids to play outdoors.
Heather and Ellie's offspring even have an adorable play area with a shed on a heightened area in the garden, with the girls' bedrooms boasting snug beds and wicker baskets with toys in so they can grab a cuddly toy and go.
Living in Brighton means lots of trips to the beach (heatherpeaceofficial/Instagram)Adults areas in the couple's Brighton home follows a chic interior plan, with wooden floors, a brown leather sofa and artwork hanging from the walls throughout the property. An impressive white piano also lives alongside Heather, Ellie and their daughters should any of them fancy tinkering the ivories.
Christmas doesn't go unnoticed in Heather's household, with the soap star often sharing pictures of her decorations with fans and revealing she and Ellie take part in the Elf On The Shelf tradition. As she posted a snap of her Christmas tree to Instagram during the festive season in 2021, the star's followers were quick to notice one of the decorations hanging off the tree. "Wonderful to see your beautiful rainbow made it into the Christmas tree," one commented, noting the rainbow ornament.
Singing career
Heather is a woman of many talents (heatherpeaceofficial/Instagram)In addition to appearing on some of the UK's biggest soaps and shows, Heather is also an accomplished singer. The multi-talented star classically trained at piano since she was six years old and later learned guitar. Heather showcased her singing skills during 2000 episode of London's Burning, which saw her character sing a version of the Bette Midler classic The Rose. It was subsequently released as a single and reached number 58 in the UK charts.
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Since 2012, Heather has released five albums, performed across the country, dueted with Alison Moyet and toured Australia twice, where the The Thin Line singer has taken part in the Sydney Mardi Gras performing on stage as well as hosting the event for the SBS TV.
"It used to be very hard to have a career in music, to break through, and you used to need people like Simon Cowell behind you, but it’s so much easier now thanks to social media. You just need to get out there and gig and gig and gig and gig..." Heather told Birmingham Live when discussing her music career in 2012.
Ahead of touring her latest album, she went on to add: "I’m touring with a band because the sound of the album is so big. I thought about doing it stripped right back or with a click-track [backing tracks], which always feels like cheating to me. But I found a great keyboard player who can sing. They’re a technical wiz’ so they can replicate the strings, and Hammond organ sounds. The bassist and guitarist can also sing, so we can do four-part harmonies now."
Lacey is an absolute diamond – I'd trust her with anything (BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)Co-star bond
Making her EastEnders debut back in October 2021, Heather's on-screen alter-ego quickly made an impression on Albert Square thanks to Eve's marriage with long-time character Stacey Slater, played Lacey Turner.
Off screen, Heather and Lacey have formed a close friendship, with Heather calling her on-screen wife "one of my best pals" as she paid tribute to her co-star last year. "I haven't made a friend like Lacey for a long time", she told The Sun in October. "As you get older, those friendships don't come along very often."
The mum-of-three continued to praise her fellow actress, recalling how she "connected" with Lacey right from the get-go. "From day one, we connected, and she's one of my best pals. Lacey is an absolute diamond – I'd trust her with anything", she added when speaking to the publication.