Kat Slater (also Moon and Mitchell) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jessie Wallace. She was also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001, Sumar-Elise Sandford in a flashback in 2018 and Amelia Crouch in video footage in 2025. Kat is the second eldest Slater family sister and first appeared on 18 September 2000. Kat's usual dress is very short skirts and leopard-print tops, with much make-up and heavy fake tan. Her initial stint saw her involved in many storylines, most significantly in a plot twist that sees her supposed sister Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan), revealed to be her daughter after she was raped by her uncle Harry Slater (Michael Elphick) as a child. Kat and Zoe's relationship is tested several times, and a feud forms when they compete against each other for the affection of Anthony Trueman (Nicholas Bailey). Another key aspect to the character's storylines is her marriage to Alfie Moon (Shane Richie), prior to which she became briefly engaged to Andy Hunter (Michael Higgs); after Kat jilted Andy on their wedding day, he blackmailed her into sleeping with him in his revenge bid against Alfie and Kat. Kat was absent between November 2004 and May 2005 following Wallace's maternity leave. Kat later left the soap on 25 December 2005.
Wallace reprised the role in 2010 and Kat returned on 17 September, before taking leave from the soap again between January and June 2012. Kat departed the soap again in May 2015, returning briefly between December 2015 and January 2016. Wallace reprised her role as Kat in the six-part spin-off series Kat & Alfie: Redwater in 2017. Following the confirmation that Redwater would not return for a second series, it was announced that Kat would instead return to EastEnders; she returned on 22 March 2018. On 26 January 2020, Wallace was suspended from the soap for two months due to her off-screen behaviour, and departed on 23 March. She ultimately returned to work when production of the series resumed during the COVID-19 pandemic, returning on-screen on 7 September 2020.
In the events of Kat's second stint on the soap, in what was called "the biggest soap story in probably the history of soaps", Kat and Ronnie Branning (Samantha Womack) both give birth on the same day, but Ronnie's son, James Branning, dies and while Kat is in hospital and her son, Tommy Moon (Shane and Ralfie White), is unattended, Ronnie swaps James and Tommy. The storyline received over 6,000 complaints, making it the second most complained about EastEnders storyline. Kat's storylines also include suffering a miscarriage, an affair with Derek Branning (Jamie Foreman) which ends her first marriage with Alfie, becoming penniless and permanently scarred in a fire and becoming a millionaire. In 2015, Kat's most prominent storyline – her rape, is revisited when it is revealed that Kat had given birth to twins and she has a secret son, Zoe's twin brother and this facilitates the character's second exit from the soap. In Kat & Alfie: Redwater, Kat discovers her son is a murderous Catholic priest, Dermott Dolan (Oisín Stack).
Since her reintroduction to the show in 2018, Kat's storylines have focused on the breakdown of her and Alfie's marriage and her separation from Tommy and their twin sons Bert and Ernie Moon; a relationship with Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami); feuds with both her cousin Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and enemy Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden); embarking on a relationship with Phil after sleeping with him; surviving an accidental hit-and-run by her friend Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty); taking temporary custody of Tommy's half-sister Scarlett Butcher (Tabitha Byron); a feud with Scarlett's mother, Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks); clashing with Phil's sister Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) and his ex-wife Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) over the Mitchell empire; her tumultuous marriage to Phil, ending in their separation; suffering parental abuse from her son Tommy; reconciling with Alfie; becoming landlady of the Queen Vic; reuniting with Zoe, whom she supports through a stalking ordeal; and discovering that she is a grandmother upon meeting Zoe's long-lost daughter, Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness). Wallace has won multiple awards for her portrayal of Kat, who has become one of the show's best-loved characters.
Creation
Casting
In 2000, EastEnders executive producer, John Yorke, decided to introduce the "classic" Slater family. He felt the show needed to go back to its roots and bring back some traditional values.
Actress Jessie Wallace was cast in the role of Kat after the character was developed at an improvisation session for thirty actors and actresses earlier in the year. Speaking of her casting, Wallace commented: "I'm pleased to be playing the champion floosie in the square. I want to achieve Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) proportions! Basically, Kat goes clubbing, steals other people's men and gets into fights. I love her. Everyone's warned me to expect a lot of stick in the street – Kat's such a full-on character. But I'm prepared for the fact that my life's going to change completely. I can't wait, but at the same time I'm scared." Wallace made her first on-screen appearance as Kat on 18 September 2000.
Characterisation
The character was described as "a bit of a floozy", "fiery", "a bitch" and "feisty". It continues to read: "Her mum had died, dad was grieving and nan (Mo) was touting stolen meat off the back of lorries (some things never change).
Kat wasted very little time in establishing herself as a drama queen by shocking everyone with the revelation that her youngest sister, Zoe was in fact her daughter. Then she stole her dishy doctor boyfriend for good measure." Wallace was intended to depart in December, however a pregnancy scare meant that she was forced to stop filming in August, and scripts featuring Kat subsequently had to be re-written. She returned to filming in February 2005 and made her on-screen return in May. Wallace signed a six-month contract in a reported bid to boost the show's ratings.
Departure (2005)
In July 2005, the BBC announced that Wallace had decided to leave EastEnders in a mutual decision with producers. A spokesperson for the show praised Wallace's talent and thanked her for her contribution to the series, stating that "Jessie and the writers want Kat Moon to go out on a high." Kat's exit storyline centred upon her on-off relationship with husband Alfie. Shane Richie, who plays him, also announced his decision to quit in April 2005. In 2009, Wallace stated that she missed playing Kat but had no immediate plans to return to EastEnders, despite rumours to the contrary. She noted that the public still associated her with her role, and that she was flattered people still remembered her.
Reintroduction (2010)
In February 2010, it was announced that Richie and Wallace would be reprising their roles as Alfie and Kat respectively, Controller of BBC drama production John Yorke predicted that their return would make "fantastic viewing", given the wealth of new characters introduced since their departure. Wallace signed an initial one-year contract, The decision was made following the resignation of Barbara Windsor, who played Peggy Mitchell, which left what Kirkwood described as a "hole" in the programme.
The plot saw Alfie and Kat regaining control of The Queen Victoria public house after it burned down, and Kat returning to Walford pregnant, with some public suspicions about the paternity of her child . To promote the characters' return, the BBC released a trailer across the BBC network in September 2010. The western-themed trailer sees Kat outside of The Queen Victoria, with various characters looking on and Kat saying "Where d'ya get a drink around 'ere?" with Alfie replying "I think you're gonna' need one." The advertisement uses the tag line "It's all kicking off in the square". The return, in September 2010, drew 9.22 million viewers and 37.7% of the total TV viewing audience. Kat returned on 17 September 2010.
Wallace admitted she was nervous about reprising the role of Kat. Speaking to TVTimes, Wallace said she'd feared she forgot how to play Kat.
Baby swap
Richie revealed in an interview with This Morning that Kat and Alfie would be involved in an ongoing storyline, which he said is "going to be the biggest soap story in probably the history of soaps." At the end of 2010, Kat and Ronnie both give birth on the same day, but Ronnie's baby, James, dies and while Kat is in hospital and her baby, Tommy, is unattended, Ronnie swaps the infants. The storyline received over 6,000 complaints, making it the second most complained about EastEnders storyline. It was then decided to end the storyline earlier than originally planned. It was reported by the Daily Star Sunday that Ronnie experiences a change of heart after visiting relatives in hospital and seeing the midwife who delivered her son. An EastEnders spokesperson said, "We do not comment on future storylines but we have always said Ronnie will do the right thing and Tommy will be reunited with Kat." Wallace revealed that she doesn't regret her involvement of the baby-swap storyline, saying that she was "just doing her job". Wallace told Bang Showbiz:"I stand by it. We're actors at the end of the day, we do our job and then we go home. It's drama, that's it." Speaking on This Morning, Martin commented: "I'm one of those actors – I don't know how many others do it – but when I get the scripts, I only read my bits. So I looked [and saw], 'Charlie leaves his grandson upstairs, goes downstairs, gets on the drink, gets drunk – the baby's dead'. So that's terrible guilt obviously – because I feel as though it's my fault that he's died. I was surprised when I saw the story come out – because I don't read the others' [lines] – that it was a baby swap." Marc Elliott added: "The storyline got whipped up into a massive frenzy. It's not representative in any way, shape or form of mothers who have lost their babies." In an interview with Take It Easy, asked whether the show's bosses handled the storyline well, Palmer replied: "I think they did. I know there's been loads of bad press, but something like that is always going to be sad to watch and it will upset people. But at the end of the day, it's a drama and it's not real. I think it got blown out of all proportion. Unfortunately, things like that do happen in real life. Babies get swapped and snatched in hospitals. I'm sure that any parent who has lost a child will find even talking about their experience very difficult, let alone watching it being acted out on television. Even my daughter got upset but she is only 9 so maybe I shouldn't have let her watch it. I just didn't realise it was going to be so heart-wrenching, which was down to the great acting." She commented: "I thought it was implausible. Most women who lose a child would not go out and abduct one," she told the Daily Mirror. "But Ronnie is a soap character and she is not necessarily representing real life. Soap is based on controversy and sensationalism because bosses are trying to get high ratings and they can't write things like 'Ronnie had a cup of tea'. Otherwise people wouldn't watch it." Marsh wrote in her magazine section: "Last week, EastEnders was cleared of wrongdoing by Ofcom, the media regulator, over its baby swap storyline, and I think that's the right decision. It's just a storyline, like any other. I understand why people got upset about it, but no-one meant to upset anybody. Soaps are supposed to portray real life to a certain extent, but it's meant to be high drama for entertainment purposes. I mean, how many murders can you have in one square? There's a nod to real life but, for the most part, soaps help take people out of the real world." She told Buzz: "None of it's been really tough for me, to tell you the truth. I go in, do my scenes and then I go home. As an actress you want to get roles you can get your teeth into. I leave it at the gates when I leave work. Years ago, with the storyline when Kat told Zoe Slater she was her real mother, I found it tougher because I was new to the game. But I've been doing it a lot longer now, and can detach myself from it. You have to." He commented: "Kat and Alfie are happy to have Tommy back, but they still buried the baby they thought was their son. That destroyed them and their relationship. The cot-death storyline is just the start of what's going to happen to Kat and Alfie. I've also heard rumours about whether Alfie is really firing blanks. He had a fertility test in Spain. Could it be wrong?" Shane Richie added: "While Alfie happily throws himself into being a dad to Tommy, it's Kat who's going to be finding things difficult." Talking to We Love Telly, asked whether it's important for Kat to see Charlie again, Wallace replied: "Yes, definitely. With what happened the night they thought Tommy died, things were still unresolved for them. Although they cleared the air before he left, things weren't right between them, so to have him back with her now makes it all the more special. It's also Charlie that makes Kat realise that she needs to bond with Tommy. He makes her see that she can do this." Shortly after finding out she is pregnant, Kat falls ill and is rushed to hospital and discovers that she has suffered a miscarriage. The insider added to Inside Soap: "Who can blame Alfie for asking some questions here? He stood by Kat while she had his cousin's baby and through the misery of losing baby Tommy. It would be absolutely devastating for him to learn that all this tragedy has driven them apart again." Speaking to Inside Soap Richie commented: "People don't like it when Kat and Alfie are really happy. I never used to believe that, but I do this time around. The way that Jessie and I like to think of it is that there's the curtain in the Queen Vic that separates the bar from their home – until you go behind it, you'd never have any idea there were problems. The bar is Kat and Alfie's public stage." An insider said: "The trouble is that while Alfie is busy playing that game, a delivery driver who calls at the Queen Vic makes a big play for Kat – and soon she's facing serious temptation." Asked whether Alfie appreciates Kat's honesty, he replied: "Not at all – he'd rather not know. Deep down, Alfie knows that Kat has done things in the past that maybe she shouldn't have, but he didn't know all the details. Now he knows Kat has been unfaithful, he has got to confront the fact. The jury is still out on that one," he explained. "I don't know, if I'm honest. They always seem to take two steps forward and then one step back... They do tend to come through these things, so who knows?" The writers for EastEnders organised "emergency script changes" which saw Kat called away to care for her father Charlie after a stroke. Numerous tabloids reported that the purpose of Dean's return is to replace Jessie Wallace; this was later denied by an EastEnders spokesperson. The spokesperson commented: "There is no link between Letitia's return to EastEnders and Jessie not being around at the moment. We have been working on plans to bring Sharon back for quite some time." Wallace praised EastEnders writers for bringing back Kat's funny and feisty attitude. Wallace added that it's like going home to her family and that she has missed Shane Richie. The identity of her lover was kept secret from both the cast and the crew; all scenes of Kat with her lover were filmed with an extra. Speaking of the storyline, Executive Producer Lorraine Newman said: "The consequences are not only great for Kat and Alfie, but also for each individual suspect. The audience will join the cast and crew guessing across the summer and autumn as we eliminate the suspects one at a time, leading to one almighty explosion." Ray was eliminated when he walked in on Kat while she was on the phone to her lover. Michael was eliminated when Kat confessed to him that she was having an affair. With only the three Branning brothers left as suspects, it was revealed on 20 December that Kat's mystery lover was Derek.
Departure (2016) and Kat & Alfie: Redwater
On 4 April 2015, the BBC announced that Wallace would appear in a six-part BBC One drama series alongside Richie and would also be departing EastEnders. In the series, Kat and Alfie visit Ireland in the "search for answers to some very big questions". Speaking about the show, Wallace commented: "I have always loved working on EastEnders so when I heard of this new drama to take Kat and Alfie outside of Walford, I couldn't believe our luck. To be exploring the next chapter for Kat as well as working alongside my best mate, Shane, is a dream come true and a huge compliment." The series, Kat & Alfie: Redwater began airing in May 2017.
Kat and Alfie: Redwater follows Kat and her husband Alfie as they arrive in the fictional Irish village of Redwater to "search for answers to some very big questions" and put their past behind them. Treadwell-Collins confirmed that "the discovery that Kat has a secret son will [...] ultimately lead to the Moons realising that the answers to so many questions lie across the sea in Ireland." Director Jesper W. Nielsen said the series is "About how one woman's search for a lost child opens Pandora's box; revealing the terrible lies and secrets in the little village of Redwater". Writer Matthew Graham said, "Kathleen Moon is an unwitting bomb in Redwater and creating the debris from her explosive arrival is what drew me to this project."
Wallace was given a makeover for her part in Redwater, different to how Kat looks in EastEnders. In the series, the character is called "Kathleen" by all characters except Alfie, who calls her "Kat".
Reintroduction (2018)
On 20 December 2017, it was announced Wallace would reprise her role as Kat in Spring 2018. Her return was masterminded by interim executive consultant John Yorke, who created the Slaters in 2000, and Kat will return alongside her grandmother Mo Harris (Laila Morse), and Jean Slater (Gillian Wright). Yorke commented: "The Slaters are one of the all-time great families in EastEnders and Albert Square has never felt quite the same since they scattered to different ends of the country, and in some cases beyond. It has been a real joy to find a way to bring them back together and we're incredibly excited about where we are taking them next. It won't just be familiar Slaters either as there are a couple of twists and characters to add fresh spice to an iconic creation." Wallace added: "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."
Wallace praised Yorke for returning to family orientated drama and for revitalising the Slaters, a family he introduced, stating that there is "hustle and bustle" within the family. Wallace explained that upon her return, Kat has "got debris to clear up, all the damage" caused by the news of her death imparted by Mo, but her "fun side" has returned, but wants Kat to remain single. This pushes Kat closer to Phil and they begin a fling after Kat breaks up with Kush. During an argument between Phil, Ben, and Callum, Kat is accidentally knocked down by Whitney. After recovering from the accident, Kat reveals her relationship with Phil and they buy the launderette together and convert the back of it into a taxi rank and name it Kat's Cabs. Kat becomes suspicious when Tommy goes missing and she later discovers that he has been talking to Michael's daughter Scarlett Butcher (Tabitha Byron). Scarlett reveals that her mother Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) abandoned her, and she has been living in foster care and is due to be taken into care. Tommy pleads with Kat to foster Scarlett but she is reluctant, not wanting the truth about Tommy's paternity to resurface. Kat is later forced to tell Tommy that Michael is his father, and not Alfie, and agrees to foster Scarlett. She is reunited with Janine and they battle for custody of Scarlett, which Kat wins. After a fire in the Mitchell house which Janine helps to save Tommy and Scarlett, Kat allows her to live with them. When Janine tells Tommy about Michael's character, Kat throws her out.
Kat, alongside her family, is forced to move in with Phil after Suki evicts them. Kat becomes jealous over Phil and Sharon growing closer after it is revealed that her son and Phil's adoptive son Dennis Rickman Jnr (Bleu Landau), is the father of Alyssa. When Kim reports Phil's involvement in Vincent Hubbard's (Richard Blackwood) murder to the police, he attempts to leave Walford with his son Raymond Dawkins (Michael Jose Pomares Calixte). Kat tries to convince him to face imprisonment than to go on the run, but he decides to leave with Raymond. Kat and Sharon manage to track Phil down in Clacton-on-Sea and she persuades him to surrender to the police, and Phil is arrested and remanded in custody. He is later released, on the basis that he will become an informant, and they are briefly reunited until Phil ends the relationship, after discovering that he will be imprisoned for life if he refuses to cooperate with the police. He keeps this a secret from Kat but she discovers the truth, and they reunite and become engaged. During their engagement party, Phil is arrested and Kat is left in charge of his businesses. In Phil's absence, Kat struggles to run his business, alongside Tommy's rebellious behaviour, and her relationship with Tommy becomes strained. She is forced to sign a package for Phil and to stash it and she visits him in prison, where he explains that the package secures his safety inside prison. Kat agrees to hide the package and later discovers that it is a gun. When Tommy accidentally stabs his bully Sid Bello (Buddy Skelton), Phil summons his sister Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) back to Walford to look after his businesses whilst he is in prison, leaving Kat unimpressed as she still holds resentment towards Sam for letting Zoe believe that she had killed Sharon's adoptive father Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) all those years ago. Sam persuades Phil to purchase Ruby's club and she turns it into a wine bar, rebranding it "Peggy's", in honour of their late mother Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor), with Kat and Sharon co-running it together. When Kat learns that Phil and Sharon have been having an emotional affair, she sacks Sharon and replaces her with Sam after Sam is shot defending Kat from robbers, unaware that it had been orchestrated by Sam. Stacey's daughter Lily (now Lillia Turner) meddles in Kat's life by finding Zoe online and inviting her to Kat and Phil's wedding. Lily also notices that Zoe has returned to London and arranges for her to meet Kat at Peggy's bar that evening, however, Zoe ignores Lily's message and does not turn up, leaving Kat disappointed again. Kat tells Lily that when Zoe is ready to make amends, she will be waiting, likewise with her sisters Lynne, Belinda and Little Mo.
Whilst Phil is imprisoned, Sam sends threats to Kat and Sharon under the disguise of Phil's nemesis Jonah Tyler (Mark Mooney), in her attempt to retaliate against the pair for pushing her out of the Mitchell empire. When Tommy is handed a bullet, Kat contemplates her future with Phil, but he pleads with her to stay and promises to sort it. Kat is later devastated when she hears from Sam and Sharon that Phil has been killed in prison, but he returns on the opening of Peggy's wine bar, after taking a deal to become an informant for DI Samantha Keeble (Alison Newman). On Phil and Kat's wedding day, Alfie returns and attempts to sabotage the ceremony by luring Bert and Ernie into his boat and locking Kat in when she finds them. When Alfie cannot find the keys to let Kat out, she jumps into a river but arrives late to the wedding. Kat and Phil are unable to marry but they decide to postpone it to another date, leaving Alfie devastated. Alfie continues to pursue Kat in Phil's absence, but she tells him that she loves Phil. She discovers that Sam had been responsible for the incident at the bar and threatening her and her children, leading to Kat attacking Sam and throwing her out. Kat continues to grow closer to Alfie, and when he arranges a Christmas nativity play, he urges Kat to play Snow White. After the play, Kat kisses Alfie but immediately tells him that it was a on/off. When Phil returns Kat reveals the kiss, and he asks her to choose, in which she chooses Phil. DCI Keeble, in her final act of revenge against Phil, kidnaps Kat and Tommy. When Keeble threatens to shoot Tommy, Kat tries to wrestle her for the gun but the bullet is set off. Keeble is shot and she threatens to have Kat arrested and sent to prison, but Phil threatens to expose her as corrupt if she proceeds to do so. Keeble agrees to drop her threats, but Kat once again contemplates her future with Phil. After a heart-to-heart with Alfie, Kat decides to reconcile with Phil when he promises to protect her and Tommy from another dangerous situation.
2023–present
In January 2023, Lily confides in Kat about her underage pregnancy and tells her that Stacey and Martin booked her in for a termination. Kat tells Lily that she does not have to go through with it if she does not want to. Lily tells her that it was her decision but she is having second thoughts. After a heart-to-heart with Kat about Zoe, Lily decides to keep the baby and tell the father Ricky Branning (Frankie Day). Kat provides financial support to Lily, which leads to tension with Stacey, who is struggling with debt. Kat learns that Stacey owes money to a loan shark named Shifty Shiv (Peter Caulfield) and is being threatened for repayment. Kat seeks Phil's help to pay off Shiv and stop his threats. Kat's nephew Freddie (Bobby Brazier) decides to search for his estranged father, Graham Foster (Alex McSweeney), despite the Slaters' objections. Kat is forced to reveal to Freddie that Graham had raped Little Mo, and she leaves Walford briefly to comfort Little Mo. When she returns, Kat is distressed to learn that Alfie might have prostate cancer and that Phil had kept this from her. She calls off their wedding, and Phil subsequently sleeps with Emma Harding (Patsy Kensit) which he hides from Kat. Kat and Phil reconcile and marry in September 2023. During Sharon's hen night, Kat overhears Sharon telling Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) that Phil is the father of her son, Albie Watts (Arthur Gentleman). Kat decides to tell Phil, but Sharon intervenes, threatening to use Albie to reunite with Phil if Kat reveals the truth, though she eventually confesses. At Kat and Phil's joint birthday party, Sam exposes that Phil had slept with Emma shortly before their wedding. Devastated, Kat ends their marriage and moves out. She then grows close to businessman Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), who offers her a flat at a reduced rent. Despite warnings from Phil, Stacey, and her friend Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) about Nish, Kat goes on a date with him. They begin a relationship, but Kat later discovers Nish's manipulative nature and ends things after a confrontation. Tommy starts to antagonise Kat with rebellious behaviour, and after a heated argument, Tommy punches Kat in the stomach, causing her to push him and he hits a table. Tommy later calls the police on Kat. Social services become involved but Alfie intervenes and Tommy admits that he lied about Kat hitting him, out of spite because she had refused to buy him new trainers.
Tommy continues to rebel against Kat and assaults her. She conceals this from the Slaters and Alfie, though they find out. After Tommy has an outburst and pours hot soup on Freddie, Jean reports him to social services. They later discover that Tommy has also been harming Bert and Ernie, and is placed in foster care with Zack Hudson (James Farrar). Kat is furious when she discovers that Jean has reported Tommy, but she eventually forgives her. Alfie supports Kat with Tommy, and they grow closer. After sharing a kiss, Kat and Alfie decide to reunite once again. Tommy moves back into the household, and Kat struggles to bond with him. When Tommy starts messaging someone online, Kat and Alfie become suspicious, but Tommy reveals that he has been using AI as a confidant. After it is revealed that Jean's partner, Harvey Monroe (Ross Boatman), has been cheating on her with Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth), Kat sacks him. She then embarks on a new business venture with Cheeky (Keith Bartlett), unaware that Harvey and Kathy are also partners in the business. When Jean discovers this, she slaps Kat in public. As the new venture is a limousine renting business for weddings, Alfie suggests that he and Kat be the couple in their advertisements; Kat accepts, and they become engaged. At Kat and Alfie's joint stag and hen do, Jean is caught by Harvey and Kat trying to set off the fire alarm. Later, Kat and Jean reconcile. After the party, Kat is shocked to find a pornographic website open on the laptop. She believes that it was Alfie using the website and worries that he no longer sees her as attractive. When Alfie turns Kat down, she is devastated, but Alfie reveals that he has been unable to sleep with her because of the effects of his prostate cancer. They then use an enhancement that allows Alfie to consummate their relationship, and it is later discovered that it was Tommy watching pornography. On Kat and Alfie's wedding day, Kat begins to have doubts, especially when the limousine is stolen. She then declares that she doesn't want to marry Alfie, but ultimately changes her mind, going through with the ceremony. Although the ceremony is not legally binding, they eventually marry at a registry office. After Stacey gains money from a life insurance policy, she buys the Queen Victoria for Kat, making her landlady once again.
Kat grows suspicious when Alfie lies about travelling to Australia to visit his brother Spencer and is later hurt when he admits he actually went to Spain to search for Zoe. Family tensions escalate for Kat after an argument with Tommy prompts him to run away and find Zoe, who ultimately persuaded to return to Walford with him, much to Kat's delight. Her joy quickly turns to crisis when Zoe rejects her and is accidentally shot. While waiting for updates on Zoe's condition, Kat learns that Zoe had previously given birth to twins and is now being pursued by a mysterious enemy. Determined to protect her, Kat supports Zoe financially by funding a private investigator to search for her surviving child.
As danger escalates around the family, Kat repeatedly shelters Zoe but struggles to trust her claims of stalking, eventually evicting her when Tommy is accused. She continues trying to protect her children, warning Zoe away from Anthony due to his violent history. Kat wrongly suspects Jean as the stalker before evidence clears her. She is devastated when she is falsely told both of Zoe's children are dead and later publicly accuses Anthony of being the stalker when his deception is exposed. After discovering Zoe unconscious beside Anthony's dead body, Kat panics and attempts to cover up the situation to protect her daughter. The truth unravels when Kat learns that Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) is Zoe's daughter and that Chrissie orchestrated events to frame Zoe. Despite Kat's efforts, Zoe calls the police and is arrested for Anthony's murder. Heartbroken, Kat becomes convinced that Chrissie killed Anthony and framed Zoe.
Reception
thumb|214x214px|Jessie Wallace (pictured) has won many awards for her portrayal of Kat.
Wallace has won multiple awards for her portrayal of Kat. At the National Television Awards, she was named "Most Popular Newcomer" in 2001 and "Most Popular Actress" in 2003. She also received "Most Popular Actress" nominations in 2002, 2004 and 2005. At The British Soap Awards, Wallace won "Best Newcomer" in 2001. The following year, EastEnders won "Best Single Episode" for the episode in which Zoe learns Kat is her mother. Wallace was additionally nominated for the "Best Actress", "Best Dramatic Performance" and "Hero of the Year" awards in 2002, and Zoe's maternity was nominated "Best Storyline". She was again nominated "Best Actress" from 2003 to 2006 consecutively, and shared "Best On-Screen Partnership" and "Best Exit" nominations with Richie in 2004 and 2006 respectively. She was further nominated in 2011 for 'Best Actress'. The Inside Soap Awards named Wallace "Best Newcomer" in 2001, Zoe's maternity "Best Storyline" in 2002, and Kat and Alfie "Best Couple" in 2004. A 2009 poll by Inside Soap magazine named Kat as the UK's favourite drama queen in a soap opera. Wallace was named "Best Soap Actress" at the 2003 TV Quick Awards. Following Kat's suicide attempt, Wallace received the 2002 Mental Health Media Award in the "Soaps and Continual Drama" category. The character's 2018 return storyline was nominated for "Most Bizarre Soap Storyline" at the 2018 Digital Spy Reader Awards; it came in third place with 15% of the total votes.
A 2010 poll by Just Eat to find the "most desired dinner companions" from EastEnders put Kat in second place. After the announcement of Jessie Wallace playing the role of Kat, Steve Hendry from the Sunday Mail referred to Kat as a "stunner". She won the Television and Radio Industries Club (TRIC) Award for "TV Soap Personality" in March 2011. Also in February, the scenes revealing Kat as Zoe's mother has become "one of the most iconic moments in the history of EastEnders". In September 2011, Kat and Andy's wedding was voted as a "wedding from hell" by Yahoo!. After the announcement that Kat is to have a miscarriage, Tony Stewart from the Daily Mirror said that after the baby swap storyline, this is perhaps "too much agony for Kat to bear". An EastEnders source added that "It is a cruel thing to happen to them after everything that they've already been through this year". Laura-Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap enjoyed Kat's 2018 reintroduction and said that Wallace returned "on full gas, giving nothing less than her trademark powerhouse performances". She felt that Kat's return gave the show "the vital spark [it has] been missing."