After schooling, Wallace trained as a
make-up artist at the
College of North East London in Tottenham and worked at the
Royal Shakespeare Company for two years. Her first television appearance was in an episode of the
ITV police drama series
The Bill in 1999 as P.C. Karen Lace.
EastEnders Wallace is known for playing
Kat Slater in
BBC One soap opera
EastEnders. She initially played the role between September 2000 and December 2005. In 2007, Wallace said she hadn't ruled out a return to
EastEnders. In February 2010, it was announced that
Shane Richie was returning to play
Alfie Moon, leading to speculation that Wallace would also be returning. On 9 February 2010, the BBC confirmed that Wallace was returning to
EastEnders, reprising her role as
Kat Slater. Kat and Alfie's return scenes aired in September 2010. In April 2015, the BBC announced that Wallace and Richie would depart from the show temporarily to appear in a six-part BBC One drama series,
Kat & Alfie: Redwater. In the series, Kat and Alfie visited Ireland in the "search for answers to some very big questions". Speaking about the show, Wallace commented: "I have always loved working on
EastEnders so when I heard of this new drama to take Kat and Alfie outside of Walford, I couldn't believe our luck. To be exploring the next chapter for Kat as well as working alongside my best mate, Shane, is a dream come true and a huge compliment." However, Wallace and Richie later revealed on
This Morning in January 2016 that Kat and Alfie would not be returning to
EastEnders after the six-part drama, and the characters departed at the end of that month. In December 2017, it was announced that Wallace would reprise the role of Kat in
EastEnders the following year, and she returned to the show permanently in March 2018.
Other work in February 2016 During her break from
EastEnders, Wallace made television guest appearances, including once as
Kat Slater, in the 2005
French and Saunders Christmas special. In February 2006, Wallace was the guest host of an edition of the
Channel 4 programme
The Friday Night Project. After visiting
Hat Trick Productions with her agent, and singing an impromptu version of
Marie Lloyd's song "
The Boy I Love Is Up in the Gallery", she was offered the lead role in
Miss Marie Lloyd – Queen of The Music Hall for
BBC Four. Wallace made her West End theatre debut, replacing
Denise van Outen in the role of Maureen in
Rent remixed at the
Duke of York's Theatre from 27 December 2007 until 2 February 2008. Wallace played Amy Kriel in the third series of
ITV's Wild at Heart and starred in a run of the play
Haunted at the
Arts Theatre from 24 May. They were the fourth couple to be eliminated from the competition in week 4. Wallace toured the UK in the 25th Anniversary production of
Stepping Out by
Richard Harris, playing the role of Sylvia. Wallace appeared as
Pat Phoenix in
The Road to Coronation Street, a one-off drama exploring the origins and conception of
Coronation Street, to mark the show's 50th anniversary in December 2010. In 2014, Wallace reprised her role as
Marie Lloyd in the music video for
Tim Arnold's single "The Piccadilly Trot". She later appeared on Arnold's album
The Soho Hobo on a duet that he wrote called "Soho Sunset". In May 2015, Wallace performed a duet at
Soho Theatre with singer-songwriter Tim Arnold to mark the release of his album
The Soho Hobo. The song marks her first recording on a pop album and was written especially for her by Arnold. Wallace was also cast as the
Fairy godmother in the
White Rock Theatre production of
Cinderella. In July 2015 it was announced that Wallace would appear alongside Richie in a stage adaptation of
The Perfect Murder by
Peter James at the
Theatre Royal in February 2016. Wallace is a patron of the theatre charity
The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America. ==Personal life==