Jessie Wallace

Jessie grew up in Enfield, in north London, and -- after her parents divorced when she was three -- she and her older sister, Joanne, were brought up by their father, James, who now runs a pub in Essex. Just as Kat's grandmother, Mo, presides over the Slater family in EastEnders (1985), Jessie's late grandmother -- also called Jessie -- was a huge influence on her life and a maternal figure as she was growing up. Jessie lost her nan seven years ago, and both parents have now remarried. Her mother, Annette, has a third daughter, Danielle. Jessie left school when she was 15 and flitted from one job to another before moving to Portugal for seven months when she was 21 to work in a string of bars. On her return she decided to train as a professional make-up artist. She complete a two-year course at the College of East London and got a job with the Royal Shakespeare Company. But on her first day in the job she realised she'd much rather be on the stage than behind the scenes. After that day