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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Rebecca Koncienzcy

BBC EastEnders Slater sisters and where the actresses are now

The Slater sisters enraged and pulled at the heartstrings of Eastenders fans from the moment they moved into Albert Square.

Quickly becoming a notorious Walford family they have been part of some incredible EastEnders storylines that have had the nation on the edge of their seats.

Landing in Albert Square in 2000 the original four sisters were Lynne, played by Elaine Lordan, Maureen, played by Kacey Ainsworth, Zoe, played by Michelle Ryan and Kat, played by Jessie Wallace.

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We took a look at the actresses who played them and where they are now.

Kat Slater

The character of Kat Slater made quite an impression in Walford. Outspoken and sexy, she seemed like the perfect combo to breathe new life into the soap.

She had a number of memorable storylines, but perhaps the most famous was when she revealed to her 'sister' Zoe, that she was, in fact, her mum.

Actress Jessie Wallace won a host of awards in the years that followed, including Inside Soap Awards' Sexiest Female in 2002 and the British Soap Awards' Best Newcomer in 2001.

But away from the TV, her life mirrored Kat's fiery character on The Square with her late-night partying.

The 50-year-old quickly became tabloid fodder as she spiralled out of control and was eventually suspended by the BBC from the soap for the negative publicity.

It was after this that she was arrested for drink driving in 2003, where she claimed her wine had been spiked with vodka by her uncle as a joke.

But the judge didn't accept her claims and she was banned from driving for three years.

During her sentencing hearing she was escorted by a police officer, Dave Morgan, who became her partner.

They got together in 2003 and soon after, Jessie confirmed she was expecting her first child, Tallulah (now 17) who was born on November 2, 2004.

Michelle Ryan and Jessie Wallace in December 2000 (@Mirrorpix)

Following the birth of her daughter, Dave and Jessie ended their engagement and her lawyers placed a gagging order on him.

Jessie left EastEnders in 2005, but has made two returns since, one in 2010 which lasted until 2016 and another last year.

The London-born actress also appeared on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing where she was paired with Darren Bennett, but was eliminated in week four.

As well as EastEnders she has also been in ITV's Wild At Heart and duet show with singer Tim Arnold.

In 2009, the soap star ditched her wild lifestyle when she cut out alcohol and hit the gym after her partying ways saw her shoot up to a size 16.

Jessie's dramatic transformation saw her lose two stone and drop down to a dress size 8.

She dished her secrets at the time, saying: "My trainers said 'we can change you in six weeks' and I thought it was such a great opportunity that I'd give it a go. They explained the training programme and the diet and I just got cracking.

Kat and Alfie return to Walford in 2010 (BBC)

"Because I've loved the food and started to see real results after just two weeks, it's been easy to stick to it. It really has changed my life. Now I'm actually beginning to see a little bit of a six-pack coming through, instead of a beer barrel."

Also in 2009, Jessie insisted her wild ways were behind her when she admitted she has to be much choosier with her friends.

Now the actress is happy with her boyfriend Paul, having finally mended her heartache since the demise of her one-year relationship with singer Tim Arnold in 2016.

Jessie recently became a grandmother and shared the happy news that her daughter had given birth to a baby boy.

Posting on Instagram, she said: "Welcome to the world, my grandson SJ. You are loved, cherished and adored."

And she is of course still on the BBC soap now.

Little Mo

Little Mo, played by Kacey Ainsworth, won the hearts of Britain as the character was tormented and abused by her violent partner Trevor, played by Alex Ferns.

Viewers and TV critics were blown away by her acting as the on-screen marriage broke down, with her ultimately hitting him with an iron in self-defence.

Kacey won best actress at the 2002-03 British Soap Awards, as well as at the Inside Soap Awards (2002) and the TV Quick and Choice Awards (2003).

After joining the cast in 2000, Kacey decided to leave the show in 2006 to pursue other acting opportunities, however, it is open for her to return - not that she has ever suggested this was on the cards.

Little Mo hits back at evil Trevor (BBC)

The 53-year-old went on to take on roles in HolbyBlue, Midsomer Murders, Casualty and a number of children's shows including Tracey Beaker returns and The Worst Witch.

She also plays Cathy Keating in Grantchester and played Nancy in Call the Midwife.

Outside of her TV work, Kacey has been praised for her role as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd which ran at the Liverpool Everyman in 2019, and even turned up in Prescot to try out The Oven Pizzeria.

She also appeared in the TV drama 'Moving On' which was created by Liverpool screenwriter and producer Jimmy McGovern.

Kacey lives in rural Hertfordshire with her partner Darren Hales, a plumber, and their two children, Elwood, 11, and Blossom, 14.

She has spoken candidly about her son's autism diagnosis and how she went through a period of mourning for the life they might have shared together.

Things that most families take for granted – an impromptu visit to a restaurant or a family holiday – can cause Elwood immense distress and require copious planning.

She said: "Christmas is always bad, routine goes out of the window because you change everything about your house.

"You put up a tree and tinsel and there are presents underneath and he doesn’t know what they are, which would upset him.

"Changing the clocks is a difficult time – it takes him weeks to get used to that – and going anywhere new is hard.

"Everything is negotiated and explained in advance.

Kacey Ainsworth attending the Raindance Film Festival 2019 (PA)

"When he was younger we would show him pictures of a restaurant and even discuss what time we were going to leave."

But she added: "My son is a unique, wonderful ­individual and looks at the world in a completely different way.

"I feel like I’ve been given a wonderful gift by him. Obviously I wish things weren’t so difficult for him and there are times it breaks my heart.

"People were rude and said things like: ‘I don’t think we should have those type of children at our school’.

"But it has made me more accepting of people with difference and I don’t judge a book by its cover."

Lynne Hobbs

Lynne Hobbs was played by Elaine Lordan from 2000 to 2004 and followed a number of roles in shows like Gimme Gimme Gimme, Minder and Dangerfield.

The character of Lynne touched on many relationship difficulties that resonated with fans of the soap, such as her desire to have a baby.

After her and her on-again, off-again relationship with Gary, played by Ricky Groves, reconciled and they were overjoyed to be expecting a girl, tragedy struck.

Elaine Lordan as Lynne and Ricky Groves as Garry (BBC)

A fairground ride accident caused Lynne to be rushed to hospital with abdominal pains and Gary was forced to decide on her behalf to consent to a c-section and hysterectomy - but the baby did not survive. Lynne was devastated and left the Square.

Actress Elaine was axed from EastEnders in 2004 following reports of drunken behaviour on and off set.

She later appeared on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! but it was short-lived as producers decided to remove the contestant from the show after she collapsed twice in the first 24 hours.

The actress was said to be reluctant about leaving but respected ITV's decision to "err on the side of caution".

In her real life, she had been struck by a string of heartbreaking tragedies. In 2005 Elaine's mother died by suicide and nine months later her one-year-old son died while having surgery for a diaphragmatic hernia.

Elaine Lordan in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! (ITV)

She later had a miscarriage in 2007 and her father died in April 2008.

The pain and suffering from these events caused Elaine's life to spiral and she was seen drinking mini bottles of wine in the street in March 2018.

The 55-year-old was splashed across newspapers as people said she looked unrecognisable from her soap acting days.

Incredibly strong, Elaine documented the difficult time in her book Whatever It Takes: A Story of Family Survival.

Zoe Slater

Although she is not technically a 'sister', Zoe, played by Michelle Ryan first appeared on screen as a sibling to Little Mo, Lynne and Kat.

The big secret she was, in fact, Kat's daughter came out in an explosive episode with the now iconic line "you ain't my mother". The revelation causes Zoe's behaviour to spiral.

Jack Ryder as Jamie and Michelle Ryan as Zoe in EastEnders (BBC)

Actress Michelle was just 16 when she first appeared on the soap in 2000. She left in 2005 when she went on to pick up a role in a Toby Young play 'Who's the Daddy?'.

Following her soap beginnings, she went on to star in a number of films, including a TV version of Mansfield Park, Clearskin and Andron and TV shows, including The Bionic Woman, Merlin and Jekyll.

The 37-year-old also played Lady Christina de Souza in Doctor Who.

Michelle Ryan in The Bionic Woman (ITV)

And if you are holding out for a Slater reunion with Kat, don't hold your breath.

In 2017 she said: "I know they’re probably thinking, ‘Well, would you like to come back?’ but I think the best thing would be if they recast the role.

"It’s not part of my life anymore but I feel it would be the right thing to recast the role."

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