Jessie Wallace (Strictly Come Dancing partner is Darren Bennett)

Jessie is best known for her role as Kat Slater in BBC One’s EastEnders, which she played for five years.

Her career started in entertainment as a make-up artist at the Royal Shakespeare Company but she went on to drama college where she graduated in 1999.

Jessie’s first television appearance was in an episode of The Bill for ITV, and her EastEnders role was her second.

Since leaving the soap in November 2005, Jessie has starred in BBC One television dramas A Class Apart and The Dinner Party, plus Wild At Heart for ITV1.

Jessie is no stranger to winning after she scooped awards at the British Soap Awards four years in a row.

She says: “I’ve always wanted to do Strictly, all those amazing dresses and the fantastic make-up, it’s going to be masses of fun and what a great way to keep fit!”