Jessie Wallace (born Karen Wallace on September 25, 1971) is a British actress who trained at the Poor School, Kings Cross, London from 1997-1999. Jessie played the part of Kathleen (Kat) Moon in the popular BBC One soap opera EastEnders. Her on-screen husband Alfie Moon was played by Shane Richie. They formerly ran the soap's pub, The Queen Victoria, but it then landed in the hands of the character Den Watts. Both Wallace and Richie left EastEnders in December 2005, with Jessie having been in the soap since 2000.