Jessie Wallace "couldn’t have asked for" a better return to ‘EastEnders’.
The 46-year-old actress will reprise her role as Kat Moon in the coming weeks but not before her grandmother "Big" Mo Harris (Laila Morse) returns to Albert Square next week and tells Stacey Fowler (Lacey Turner) that Kat has died.
Jessie said: "I’m so excited to be back in Albert Square, and knowing what [show boss] John Yorke has in store for the Slaters, it’s a really exciting time to be here.
"Add to that working alongside Lacey [Turner], Laila [Morse] and Gillian [Wright] again, I couldn’t have asked for more.
"As soon as I put on her leopard-print coat, slipped on her shoes and added her red lipstick, Kat was back."
While Mo moans about Kat’s demise, there is speculation her mouthy market trader granddaughter could crash her own wake in the Queen Vic.
Stacey will no doubt be devastated to hear Kat has pegged it, but Lacey has "laughed so much" acting alongside Jessie, Laila, and Gillian Wright, who plays her mother Jean Slater, again.
In a joint interview with Radio Times magazine, Lacey added: "I have loved every minute of having the Slaters reunited. We have laughed so much, it’s like they have never been away.
"I think it’s fair to say that things aren’t going to be quiet in Walford now number 31 is full of Slater women."
Jessie recently confirmed she is returning to ‘EastEnders’ and "cannot wait" to get going.
She said: "I am thrilled to be returning to ‘EastEnders’ next year and knowing what John Yorke has in store for the Slaters is incredibly exciting.
"I love Kat and Walford dearly and I cannot wait to get started – watch out Walford, Kat’s coming home."
Viewers last saw Kat in spin-off show ‘Kat and Alfie: Redwater’, which told the story of the couple heading to Ireland to find her secret son.
But disaster struck in the finale when Kat was involved in a potentially-devastating boat accident.
The series ended with the fates of Kat and husband Alfie Moon (Shane Richie), who has a brain tumour and was last seen in hospital, unknown.
Jessie Wallace ‘couldn’t have asked’ for better EastEnders return
