Stars Behaving Badly: The curse of the Slaters

JESSIE WALLACE

The former make-up artist has been making headlines since she first burst on to the screen as

orange-faced man-eater Kat. But it's not just her explosive storylines that have kept her in the news.

Jessie caused trouble in her very first interviews by claiming that she based Kat on girls she saw near where she lived in Loughton, Essex, calling them 'lazy tarts'. Not surprisingly, this didn't go down well with the ladies of Loughton whose general reaction was 'takes one to know one'.

There was a bit of a fuss when it was revealed that Jessie's on- off boyfriend Paul Whitworth had served time for fraud and stood trial for armed robbery. Fair enough - can't blame the girl for the company she keeps, although 'Enders bosses probably weren't too thrilled to realise that Jessie has convictions for drink driving and shop lifting that pre-date her role in the show.

There was more trouble when Jessie attacked co-star Hannah Waterman (Laura Beale), by slapping her after Hannah stepped in to break up a row with a guest at a BBC party.

Accusations of racist abuse followed when the taxi driver who took her home on Christmas Eve claimed a worse-for-wear Jessie hit him round the face and called him 'Bin Laden'. More fireworks in June when she was seen secretly meeting drug dealer Jay Rutland at the Royal Oak Pub (nicknamed the Royal Coke) in Loughton. There was also an incident in Los Angeles, where it was claimed she told a pool player to shove his cue 'up his arse'. Jessie recently said, 'This year has been the worst of my life. Everything I've achieved has been ruined. I'm expected to get into scraps and cause trouble, but at the end of the day I'm just not like that.' Er, no, of course she isn't. But her two-month suspension from the soap on no pay - as a punishment for her off-screen antics - should give the actress time to get her act together.

MICHELLE RYAN

The youngest Slater, Michelle was just 15 when she was plucked from obscurity to play Zoe - the teenager who would be revealed to be Kat's illegitimate daughter. At the time, Michelle said she was determined to avoid the pitfalls of early fame. 'I've read about young stars who face problems and can understand how they get into trouble.' But in July her parents called the police after she disappeared from the family home. A distressed Michelle was found near Archway Viaduct in North London, a notorious suicide spot. She had been overwhelmed by work, and upset by the end of her month-long relationship with dodgy Romeo, Hollyoaks actor Gary Lucy. Storylines were hastily rewritten to explain Michelle's absence - and Zoe did yet another runner. But happily, Michelle is now recovered and will shortly be returning to the Square.

ELAINE LORDAN

Elaine, who plays Lynne Hobbs, has been in the wars of late, and many of her difficulties seem to be fuelled by her fondness for a few sherberts.

She first hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons on a flight back from Spain. A few vodkas down the line it struck Elaine, 36, that it would be a good idea to shout that the flight was about to be hijacked. As this was just weeks after September 11, it didn't go down too well. Nor were BBC bosses pleased when she was banned from a hotel after allegedly harassing a male guest by climbing on to his car bonnet, making lewd remarks and causing a scene in the bar by shouting at guests before falling off her stool. Her bosses gave her three months off.

But Elaine's troubles continued, exacerbated by the illnesses of her father and sister and the collapse of her 11-year-relationship with actor Gerard Rooney, star of the Murphy's commercials. And when her affair with married BBC man Peter Manuel was exposed, his wife branded her a home wrecker. She's currently facing a retrial after a drink-drive charge collapsed in court.

KACEY AINSWORTH

While Little Mo has a turbulent on-screen life, Kacey is a model of stability. The 32-year-old is settled with her plumber fiance. How boring. But beware, as it seems no one is safe from the Curse of the Slaters.

Copyright 2002 MGN LTD
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