EX-EASTENDERS star Katie Jarvis has told how she felt "hurt and embarrassed" after being shamed for working as a security guard at B&M.
The actress and single mum said she found work "as soon as I could" to earn cash for her two kids after being dumped by the BBC soap.
Katie's extreme change in circumstances made headlines after she was pictured puffing on a cigarette outside B&M in Romford, Essex.
The 28-year-old, who played Hayley Slater on the show, explained: "It's the nature of being an actor; gigs come and go, and after my contract with EastEnders ended in February, I found a new job as soon as I could."
Katie – who is mum to children Lillie-Mae, 10, and Alfie, eight – said that the support of celebrity mum Tamzin Outwaite and Game of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel has made her "proud" to speak out about her situation.
She told Grazia magazine: "Their support gave me the strength to speak out and stand up for hard-working people – especially single mums. As long as I'm providing for them, nothing else matters. Everything I do is for them."
Hayley's disappearance from Albert Square left fans scratching their heads earlier this year, with her explosive storyline with Kat and Alfie reaching an abrupt end.
Katie recently said her role at bargain store B&M is far from easy, pointing out that security guards put themselves at risk for other people's safety.
Describing her job, she said: "The people I work with there are amazing, they get up every single day, they work hard for their money and it doesn't matter what job you're doing. I don't feel like anyone should be made to feel like how I felt when I woke up.
"I think as long as you're working that's all that matters. A lot goes into being a security guard, they put themselves at risk. I took that job on and joined my sister because she's a security guard there."
Katie kicked off her acting career in 2009 drama Fish Tank alongside Michael Fassbender, before landing the part of Hayley Slater in EastEnders from the beginning of 2018.
The loudmouth character was at the centre of a major storyline in which she got pregnant with Alfie Moon's baby after having an affair in Spain.
Their betrayal was discovered by Kat Slater in last year's explosive Christmas special – with Katie's final scenes being aired in February.
The loudmouth character was at the centre of an major storyline in which she got pregnant with Alfie Moon's baby after having an affair in Spain.
In March of this year, Katie hit the headlines when she was glassed in a horrifying attack on a night out.
Taking to her Twitter page, the brunette thanked the police for their help as she told fans that she had needed hospital treatment.
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