EastEnders star Jessica Wallace has a new boyfriend who is helping to calm her down as she fights the booze-related problems that have blighted her career.
Justin Gallwey, 50, has been pictured out and about with Jessie, 50, and has admitted that he and the actress are "very close".
The couple had an altercation with police last week when Jessie kneed an officer in the groin as Justin argued with police outside a nightclub.
She was arrested following the incident at 2am in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk and given a police caution, while her bosses at EastEnders read her the riot act.
But Justin insisted: “Our relationship is fine. We are very close.”
He said of the police incident: “I have made my apologies and so has Jessie.”
Justin has previously spoken about his problems with addiction and in 2020 celebrated four years of sobriety. He and Jessie have taken a European holiday and enjoyed a string of dates.
A friend told The Sun on Sunday: “Justin has been a loving and calming influence to Jessie and helped guide her away from booze and partying.
“Last weekend’s incident was a one-off and they are working to get back on the straight and narrow.
“They are committed and in a loving relationship — he wants the best for her. They’ve known each other since they were teenagers.”
Following her police caution, the actress, known for her role as Kat Slater in the BBC soap, was called into a meeting with senior bosses, during which she expressed her "deep regret" over the incident.
A BBC spokesperson told the Mirror: “Senior bosses have spoken to Jessie Wallace about the incident and issued a clear warning that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable and Jessie has expressed her deep regret.”
Jessie has played Kat in the Walford based soap on and off for more than two decades.
In 2020, she was written out by producers for two months following an "incident while filming". Jessie said that she was ordered to "sort herself out" by show bosses before she returned from the two months suspension.
