Jessie goes Wild in hit drama

Former EastEnders star Jessie Wallace has replaced actress Amanda Holden in the cast of ITV1 drama Wild At Heart, according to the papers.

The Sunday Mirror reports that Wallace - who became a star as Kat Slater in the soap - flew out to South Africa with her three-year-old daughter Tallulah earlier this week, to start work on the third instalment of the series.

Holden announced earlier this year she would be leaving the show - about a British vet (Stephen Tomkinson) who moves to South Africa to set up a game reserve - to spend more time with her daughter Lexi and fiance Chris Hughes.

"Jessie is thrilled to have landed the part," an ITV source told the paper. "It's a fantastic series and she's looking forward to getting stuck in."

The star - who has appeared in several successful shows since leaving Albert Square - was last seen on screen in the BBC1 drama A Class Apart.

Holden, meanwhile, made her mark earlier this year as one of the judges on the ITV1 hit Britain's Got Talent.