Early work At the age of 51, Morse made her professional acting debut as Janet in the 1997 film
Nil by Mouth. The
BAFTA winning film also marked the writing and directing debut of her actor brother Gary. Morse's performance as the matriarch won her the award of 'Most Promising Newcomer in any Category' at the
British Independent Film Awards. Morse's television debut was as Janice Ryan in an episode of
The Bill, which was followed by a regular role as Honky Mum in the
BBC sitcom
Honky Sausages, and the character Molly in the 1999 television production of
Great Expectations. In 2000, Morse played Laila in the film
Love, Honour and Obey.
EastEnders In September 2000, Morse made her first appearance as
Mo Harris in the
BBC soap opera
EastEnders. Introduced as the matriarch of the
Slater family, her first scene in the soap was alongside
Pam St Clement, who played
Pat Butcher. A couple of weeks later, a television critic said that Morse had acted like "a lump of cardboard". Recalling the article, Morse replied: "I daresay he was right! I was bloody petrified." She admitted that it was only three years later that she started to feel comfortable on set. Morse temporarily left
EastEnders in January 2016, after appearing on a recurring basis since July 2012. In June 2017, Morse expressed interest in returning to
EastEnders as she felt that she never "officially left". In December 2017, it was announced that Morse would be returning to the show to play Mo. She returned in March 2018, after being re-introduced alongside
Jean (
Gillian Wright) and
Kat Slater (
Jessie Wallace). In February 2021, it was announced that Morse would be departing the soap again, with the character's exit scenes airing in June 2021. A year later, it was announced that Morse would reprise the role for a short stint later that year, with the character appearing in five episodes between August and September 2022. In February 2024, it was announced that Morse would reprising the role on a permanent basis, following a storyline accommodating the return of
Freddie Slater (
Bobby Brazier). She returned in May 2024.
Other work In 2011, Morse made a return to film when she appeared as Aunt Queenie in the film
Big Fat Gypsy Gangster, written, produced and starring
Ricky Grover. In December 2012, Morse made her pantomime debut as the Fairy in a production of
Jack and the Beanstalk. In January 2012, Morse took part in the
seventh series of
ITV celebrity edition skating show
Dancing on Ice. She was paired with
Łukasz Różycki and they were the second couple to be eliminated. Morse published her autobiography
Just A Mo in 2013. In November 2013, Morse participated in the
thirteenth series of ''
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' and was the second participant to be voted out of the series on 2 December. In June 2016, it was announced that she would be taking part in the BBC series of
Celebrity Masterchef. The series was won by
Alexis Conran. In 2019, Morse appeared as an BPRD employee in
Hellboy. In 2021, it was announced that Morse was leaving
EastEnders when her contract ended. In 2021, Morse took part in the ITV series
Strictly the Real Full Monty, where she was partnered with
Homes Under the Hammer presenter
Martin Roberts. Morse was praised by viewers when she revealed her breast cancer scars. ==Personal life==