EastEnders' Jessie Wallace's life off screen from real name to rarely seen child

11 September 2023 , 17:17

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EastEnders' Jessie Wallace's life off screen from real name to rarely seen child

EastEnders star Jessie Wallace is certainly not what she seems. The 51 year old actress, who plays Kat Slater in the BBC soap has now revealed a few things about her life that will leave fans in a state of shock and excitement.

In February it was reported that her relationship with carpenter Justin Gallwey, who she has been dating for a little over a year, has now been taken to the next level as she is now engaged and set to be married for the first time. In a picture obtained by a publication, Jessie was seen wearing a gold band on her finger as she bought a bottle of wine from a petrol station close by to her London home.

Jessie Wallace stars as Kat Slater in EastEnders (Mike Marsland/WireImage)

Jessie and her fiance Justin Gallwey (Instagram)

And unlike her previous relationships, Jessie has finally found a man who is happy to support her. In a past interview, Justin told The Sun: "I just want to protect her. Everything is happy and things are good." Justin is said to keep a Jessie doll from Toy Story in his van as a keepsake. He told The Sun last year: "Our relationship is fine. We are very close."

But in a sense of life imitating art, it was only last year that Jessie was arrested by police after she assaulted a police officer verbally and physically, following a boozy night out. Speaking about the incident, Justin told the publication: "I have made my apologies and so has Jessie."

After a night out on the tiles, Jessie allegedly told a police officer to "f*** off you fat c***." And Jessie, who is now with badboy Phil Mitchell in the soap also allegedly kneed the officer in the groin before she was placed in a van but was later released without charge.

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She was then sternly warned by BBC bosses that her behaviour was "unacceptable. But Jessie has managed to put her colourful past behind her to concentrate on her upcoming nuptials. While everyone knows her by the name of Jessie, it seems that, that is not the name she used to go by. After posting a throwback picture of herself on Instagram in May this year, she revealed the moniker she used to go by.

Sat among her pals, Jessie is seen smiling from ear to ear. And unlike her trademark brunette hair colour, Jessie sported blonde locks cut in a mullet style hair do. But it was the caption underneath the snap that caught the attention of fans.

The picture named her as Karren Wallis, a name she has not used since becoming famous when she joined the EastEnders cast. Jessie became a grandmother for the first time early last year and announced the news on her social media account. The black and white image of her grandson just showed him in a side profile.

Jessie's daughter Tallulah gave birth to the tot last March. And in the caption, in the now deleted message, she wrote: "Welcome to the world, my grandson SJ. You are loved, cherished and adored." And her co-stars wasted no time in congratulating the star. Lacey Turner, who pays Stacey Slater wrote: "Beautiful boy."

Lucretia Munro