‘She brings joy and fun'

Heather Peace tells us about playing Stacey Slater’s troublesome pal

- ALISON SLADE

EASTENDERS

MON, TUE, THU & FRI / BBC1 / TIMES VARY / SOAP

EastEnders has had its fair share of strong-willed women, but none have punched two fellas within five minutes of arriving! Welcome Eve Unwin, ex-cellmate and now wife of Stacey Slater.

Here, Heather Peace, 46, arriving in Walford via Waterloo Road, talks about being back on the box and why Eve is the perfect role…

Eve is quite the whirlwind. Was that the appeal in playing her?

Yes, and I like her one-liners. I think she brings a bit of joy and fun, and the relationship with her and Stacey, the gay girl/straight girl friendship, is something I hadn’t seen explored before.

When I read the scripts, I totally knew who she was. She’s like an illegal version of me! She doesn’t take any nonsense, but her means are quite dubious.

Tell us about your audition for the role…

I had to do a self-tape; they’re a bit of a nightmare because the adrenaline of going into an audition room is what gets you through, and you’re having to find that energy when you’ve just done the dishes!