EastEnders legend broke major rule on set and bosses allowed it, reveals former soap star
A former EastEnders star has unveiled a surprising secret about one of Walford’s most iconic characters.
Katie Jarvis revealed that her co-star June Brown was allowed to break a significant rule behind the scenes on the soap.
Katie joined EastEnders in 2018 as Kat Slater’s cousin Hayley.
She recently opened up about her time on the show during an interview on The Criminal Connection podcast.
Initially she reflected on the drama filled storylines her character was involved in before her departure from the soap in 2019.
Then Katie and host Terry Stone went on to discuss the legendary June.
Terry recalled a conversation he once had with the star, and mentioned that despite having to memorise reams of dialogue, the actress never missed a beat.
Katie agreed, then also pointed out that June was not only well known for remembering all her lines – but also for being the only cast member who was allowed to light up on set.
While reminiscing, Terry shared: “I always remember, June sat down, and she was just smoking and smoking.”
Katie was quick to exclaim: “Yeah she was the only one that was allowed!”
Terry added: “She’d always be working as an actress daily. She put her cigarette down, went on the set, and she’s reading these pages of dialogue.
“You’re sitting there going, how the f*** do you remember all of that?”
Katie chimed in: “She knew all of her lines never got them wrong, and obviously, she was always allowed to walk around smoking!”
June played chain smoker Dot Cotton on EastEnders for over three decades.
After her first appearance on the soap in 1983, she quickly went on to become a fan favourite.
Sadly June passed away in 2022 at the age of 95, just two years after leaving the show.
Despite being allowed to break the rules on set, Katie was actually more of a controversial figure for the BBC than June ever was.
The soap star pleaded guilty to one count of racially aggravated harassment and one count of common assault in 2022.
It came after she screamed “black lives don’t matter” in a brawl that took place in July 2020 outside a bar in Southend, Essex.