Emily Herbert - Jessie Wallace: The Inside Story of the Queen of Eastenders

J essie Wallace is one of the most popular faces on television today. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, she virtually became a star overnight, catapulted from a completely unknown actress with little professional acting experience to one of the best-known faces in the UK, and all because of her character in EastEnders called Kat. Her life since then has not always run smoothly.

In some ways as volatile as her on-screen character although Jessie is always keen to emphasise the differences between herself and Kat she has become a favourite not only with the public, but also with the tabloids, who are keen to chart the minutiae of every aspect of her life.

So far, it has been quite a life, filled with incident and drama and a rise from humble beginnings to major celebrity. And her career looks set to go further still. Despite the odd mishap, BBC bosses have made it clear to Jessie that she has a future far beyond her current role in EastEnders; a highly talented actress with a natural warmth that has captivated audiences everywhere, she has the potential to end up as one of the professions greats. But just who is she really? And where does she come from? For, when Jessie first entered the world, no one had a clue they were dealing with a baby and then a child who would one day become a household name.

The time that Jessie was born? The early 1970s. The place? North London Enfield, to be precise. The event? The birth of Karen Jane Wallace on 25 September 1971, a birthday, incidentally, that she shares with Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. But back then, no one had heard of Michael Douglas, the great Catherine was still in her infancy, and the newcomer just seemed like an ordinary, if much-loved, baby. There was no clue that under the name of Jessie, she would one day become one of the most popular and talked about television stars in Britain.

Indeed, there was nothing in the Wallace family background to signify what the future would hold. Jessie does not come from a theatrical family and her career has taken her nearest and dearest by surprise. She might now be one of the countrys most famous names but her talent and ambition had a long way to go before they would be recognised.

Home life was comfortable, although it would not be long before it was to change. Jessie had an older sister, Joanne. Her father, James, was a Telecom engineer; her mother Annette looked after the family; and her grandmother, whom Jessie absolutely adored, lived nearby in Manor House. It is often thought that Jessie is a real East Ender, which is not quite the case, but she does have a link with that area of the capital, as her mother was born there.

But there was upheaval very early on in Jessies life something that seems to have caused no lasting damage, but which changed her world as she knew it when she was still a little girl. Jessies parents divorced when she was three and, unusually, it was her father who cared for the children.

All I know is that Mum and Dad separated, Jessie said many years later. There wasnt anyone else she just wasnt happy with my dad. So he looked after me and my big sister Joanne. Dad was brilliant he was both parents rolled into one. He worked flat out as a Telecom engineer, made sure neither of us ever went without, and was always there for us.

Indeed, as an adult, Jessie shows none of the emotional insecurity that marks out so many actors and actresses. She was a much-loved little girl, by both her parents and her grandmother. She remains extremely close to her family, something that has never changed as her name became better known. Her father also clearly went to great lengths to make sure she was happy and protected, a strategy that seems to have paid off.

I dont ever remember coming home from school to an empty house, she said. Whatever hobby I wanted, Dad supported me. He took me to swimming lessons and, when I wanted a guitar, he went out and bought me one although two weeks later I got bored and gave it up. Thats the sort of horrible child I was. I saw Mum at weekends, but I was a real daddys girl.

That continues to be the case to this day. Jessie does have women friends but, as she herself says, the majority of her mates are men. Her close and endearing relationship with her father has meant that she feels most comfortable in the company of men.

Both Annette and Jessie were, however, deeply upset by later claims that Annette walked out on the family. Id like to put it right about my mum, Jessie said. Mum never left me when I was three. My parents separated when I was three and I lived with my dad. Theyve both been there for me and given me 100 per cent support. I love them to bits both of them.

Indeed, although she lived with her father, there was never the slightest hint of froideur between mother and daughter; the two were always close. It was merely that, unusually, Jessie lived with her father.

Indeed, Jessies first memories date from the period in her life when her parents split up. I can remember having a bath in the kitchen sink when I was about three years old, she once said. Its a strange thing to remember, but I can see it really vividly. Ive got a good memory from when I was young. I even remember my first day at playschool. I recall sitting on the slide and suddenly realising my mum wasnt there. It was then that I burst into tears.

That early moment of insecurity, however, was not to last or rather, it was to take on a slightly different form. While she was utterly secure within the family unit, she also had agonising moments of self-doubt, which led her, in turn, to lashing out at anyone around her. Jessie was clearly a handful, as she later admitted. I was a horrible child, but never the sadistic type, she said. I wasnt into dynamiting small animals. The first really exciting thing that happened to me was winning a dance contest when I was ten. I had this Bucks Fizz dance that I learnt. I won a beanbag toy that became my pride and joy.

Her early exuberance frequently led her into scrapes of which more anon and is a clear sign of the lively personality she was later to become. For, to put it bluntly, ever since she was a little child to the present day, Jessie has always managed to get into trouble. Whether its being with the wrong people or ending up at the wrong place at the wrong time, Jessie has always raised eyebrows and that continues even now. But it is also a defining quality that makes her so popular. Because she is not a quiet little mouse who sits in a corner, Jessie does tend to draw attention to herself, whether its deliberately or not, and that has led her into the odd mess.

Her liveliness did not manifest itself everywhere, however. Although she was an accomplished dancer, Jessie was not a sporty child. No, definitely not, she said, when asked about her sporting prowess. I was a good swimmer and used to go quite regularly, but then I became interested in boys and that was it. I also tried synchronised swimming for a week. At school, I was terrible at sport.

I was always the slowest runner I used to run like a frog, and my legs used to go in different directions, like a propeller. I was never any good at the high jump, either. I would run up to the pole and then stand there and run back and promise to do it the next time, but I never would. It was too hard. As far as sports and I are concerned, we just dont go together.

That, again, points up incidents in her life as an adult. Jessie has a voluptuous figure, but there have been occasions when her bosses were concerned it was filling out too much. It wasnt, of course, but Jessie is an actress who is very much in the public eye and so is subject to the same pressures about weight and image that are brought to bear on all actresses. Again, it is an intensely likeable quality that means she doesnt obsess about her appearance in the way some showbusiness figures do, but the industry in which she works has forced her to rethink some aspects of her lifestyle. She may not be sporty, but these days she knows the value of exercise.