BEEB: THIS IS JESS NOT ON
Bosses warn soap star over drunken bust-up with police officer
JESSIE Wallace has been warned about her conduct by BBC chiefs after she was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer.
The 50-year-old actress, who plays Kat Slater in EastEnders, was cautioned after a drunken bust-up at the weekend.
A BBC spokesman said: “Senior bosses have spoken to Jessie about the incident and issued a clear warning that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable. Jessie has expressed her deep regret.”
It comes as friends urged the star to make some changes.
One said: “She needs to step back, slow down and try to sort her head out. This behaviour is deeply unprofessional.”
Wallace ended up being cuffed by police outside the Verve club in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, at 2am on Sunday. BBC bosses spent Monday and yesterday mulling over what action to take.
Police said a 50-year-old woman was cautioned after being held on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and drunk and disorderly conduct.
An onlooker said: “She was screaming abuse at the police. One officer said he would take the cuffs off if she calmed down but when he did, she kicked off again.”
Wallace was said to have been accompanied by a man when she was held by three officers after becoming abusive outside the club.
Police said the woman arrested “was released without charge after receiving a conditional caution”. It is not a
conviction but goes on the Police National Computer. It is spent after three months. In 1998, Wallace was banned from driving for 15 months after failing to take a breathalyser test. In 2003 she failed one and got a three-year ban.