Jessie Wallace swapped The Queen Vic for an East London cafe on Sunday as she took on the role of barista and poured coffees for stunned customers.
The actress, 53, parked up at the popular E Pellicci in Bethnal Green and immediately got to work, helping staff with the weekend rush.
The star, who has played Kat Slater on and off in the soap for 25 years, even entertained patrons at the family-run Italian establishment, which has been around since 1900, with some of her most iconic lines from the show.
At one point, a crowd of people in the cafe shouted the words, ‘You ain’t my mother!’, in a callback to Zoe Slater’s famous cry in a 2001 episode as she discovered Kat was not actually her sister and had in fact been raped, leading to her birth.
Jessie then screamed out her character’s legendary riposte, ‘Yes I am!’, much to the delight of those present at E Pellicci.
The soap star posed for a series of heartwarming photos with the cafe’s staff and customers, which were then posted to the shop’s Instagram page.
Jessie Wallace swapped The Queen Vic for an East London cafe on Sunday as she took on the role of barista and poured coffees for stunned customers
The actress, 53, parked up at the popular E Pellicci in Bethnal Green and immediately got to work, helping staff with the weekend rush
The account added the caption: ‘When our GORGEOUS and super lovely friend @jessie.wallace_official performs one of the most iconic lines ever @bbceastenders in a packed cafe ❤️❤️❤️❤️
‘We think our little Rosa would make a great stand in if ever Jessie needed a day off?
‘She won’t stop wearing that b****y wig.
‘Thank you @jessie.wallace_official you made our day and we love you loads ❤️❤️
‘#wewantmorekat #thebest #cafelife #youaintmymuvva’
During a chat with co-star Lacey Turner, 36, on her podcast in January, Jessie admitted that her legendary line was actually written as a whisper, but she didn’t think that saying those three words quietly would work.
When asked about the change she made to the scene, Jessie remarked: ‘Tony Jordan had written it as I whispered it and I was like, “no, if I’ve been holding this for 18 years, I’m going to scream it out”.’
Meanwhile, the actress called for the return of Michelle Ryan, 40, to the soap, following her exit as Zoe back in 2005.
At one point, a crowd of people in the cafe shouted the words, ‘You ain’t my mother!’, in a callback to Zoe Slater’s famous cry in a 2001 episode before Jessie exclaimed: ‘Yes I am!’
The star, who has played Kat Slater on and off in the soap for 25 years, entertained patrons at the establishment, which has been around since 1900, with some of her most iconic lines
The soap star posed for a series of heartwarming photos with the cafe’s staff and customers, which were then posted to the shop’s Instagram page
The account added the caption: ‘When our GORGEOUS and super lovely friend @jessie.wallace_official performs one of the most iconic lines ever’
Lacey shared: ‘I’d love it if she came back. Would you? “Hello Mum”. Oh, that’s given me goosebumps,’ with Jessie agreeing: ‘Can we make that happen? I think it’d be great. I think it would be lovely.’
Speaking about Kat and Zoe’s iconic storyline, Lacey asked: ‘Did you have any idea it was going to be that big? I literally remember watching it, me and the rest of the nation, watching that episode. 19 million viewers.’
To which Jessie responded: ‘I was so honoured that they gave that storyline for me to carry – but it was really hard.’
Discussing the plot, which revealed that Kat was sexually abused by her Uncle Harry resulting in her giving birth to Zoe aged just 14, Jessie continued: ‘And this is back in the day when we used to get like sackfuls of fan mail.
‘And the majority were teenage girls that were going through the same thing, that were relating to Kat and coming to me for help.
‘But I’m an actor and it had to be passed on to the NSPCC, which was really tough.’
She also told how the backstory was changed by then executive producer John Yorke, who had raised Kat’s age by two years for the storyline.
Jessie explained: ‘Originally Kat had Zoe when she was 12, but John changed it to she was 14, so now I’ve got to carry around the fact that Kat’s two years older than me.’
During a chat with co-star Lacey Turner, 36, on her podcast in January, Jessie admitted that her legendary line was actually written as a whisper (pictured: Kat and Zoe in 2001)
The actress and Lacey called for the return of Michelle Ryan (pictured, in 2016) to the soap, following her exit as Zoe in 2005. Lacey said: ‘I’d love it if she came back. Would you?’
Reflecting on her time on EastEnders ahead of its 40th anniversary live special last month, Jessie said: ‘I came in as the troublemaker of a new family and didn’t know she would become as big as she has.
‘Kat has developed over the years and I love dressing up as her, she makes such a statement with the red lipstick and the mini-skirts.’
Lifting the lid on ‘soap snobbery’, she continued: ‘I don’t understand it. You get huge film actors coming in and they don’t realise how hard it is to produce what we do.
‘I remember Joan Collins presenting at the British Soap Awards and saying, “A successful actor is a working actor”. Soaps are a fabulous thing to be a part of.’
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