After leaving the BBC soap, the actress, who played Hayley Slater on EastEnders, was forced to work a day job at B&, M. She later worked in a garage before returning.
The soap industry in the UK has become a cherished part of British culture, with programs like Coronation Street and EastEnders offering daily drama. Characters like the adored pub landlord Mick Carter, who Danny Dyer portrays, and the legendary Phil Mitchell have gained worldwide notoriety.
Fans are frequently left speechless when soap actors switch out their fictional roles for real-world roles, though. Katie Jarvis, who played Hayley Slater on EastEnders from 2018 to 2019, is one of the stars who unknowingly made a career change.
Following a racially charged brawl that nearly ended her career in 2020, which resulted in a sentence of 200 hours of unpaid work and a 60-hour rehabilitation order, the decision was made. The 33-year-old briefly resurrected as Donna in Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins, but has since concentrated on raising her two children and leading a quieter life.
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Katie took a three-month break from the public eye after her stint with EastEnders ended due to bereavement of her lost family members. After that, she accepted a security position at B& M to help support her family, which her sister Becky had already done.
She explained why she worked in the public sector, saying, “I thought I’ll go work with my sister Becky rather than spend my time at home and be depressed and miserable.”
She got me in there after we both worked at the same security facility, but it turns out a week later, apparently word is spreading, and about a week later, the press starts ringing my phone. Then, these images of me entering work the day before, appearing in front of the papers, emerge.
She also touched on the “job-shaming” she experienced after switching from a small screen to a regular day job. Up until EastEnders, the actress said, “I never had bad publicity, no drama, no s**t at all.” Everyone jumps on everything when I watch EastEnders, everyone is up their a**e, everyone wants to work for you, and everyone assumes they know you, but it completely alters the dynamics.
She lamented during a conversation on the Criminal Connection podcast that “you can’t win, it doesn’t matter what you do, you can’t win.”
The Dagenham actress, who spoke with Grazia, described her situation as “the nature of being an actor.” She continued, “Gigs come and go, and I always found a new job as soon as I could after my contract with EastEnders expired in February.”
Katie has a history of regular jobs in between acting and being allegedly employed at a garage. She revealed that she had taken a railroad engineering course, had nails qualified, and had other things done, and had a list that would never end.
She continued, “I’ve pulled back a little bit now; I was fantastic to play Donna in The Rise of the Footsolider.”
I’m currently employed, a regular person, and I’ve briefly paused from filming. I’m employed by a garage. I adore it, much like Hayley did in EastEnders. It’s great because I also enjoy working with people.
Katie admitted to feeling “quite happy and settled” in her role despite her previous job-hopping, denying any rumors about a potential return to the soap.
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