Jessie Wallace

Only days after auditioning for a walk-up part in Eastenders, Jessie Wallace was called back and asked to try out for a major role in the soap. To her astonishment, she won the role of Kat Slater—and promptly passed out in the street! Kat has gone on to become one of the program''s most popular characters and the UK has been hooked on her return to the show. This in-depth and affectionate portrait traces Jessie''s meteoric rise to fame. She left school at 15 and worked behind a bar and on a market stall before getting into theatrical makeup. Her struggle to put herself through drama school proved worth it when she made it onto Britain''s biggest soap and became the most talked-about star. As Kat brightens up our televisions once more, the future looks bright for Jessie Wallace and this biography provides the complete story of one of the UK''s most brilliant stars.