The couple became an item after Wallace's court hearing

Wallace, 31, who plays Kat Slater, has been shopping for engagement rings with Pc Dave Morgan.

The couple met in April this year when Wallace was facing a drink-driving charge.

Pc Morgan, 28, was responsible for shielding Wallace from the barrage of waiting photographers outside Chelmsford Magistrates' Court.

Wallace's agent said: "They are talking about getting engaged and have been to look at rings."

The couple were photographed emerging from a jeweller's shop in London's Hatton Garden district on Tuesday.

Wallace, from Wanstead, east London, was alleged to have been one-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit when police stopped her Mercedes in March.

The soap star, whose real name is Karen, has denied the charge and is due to appear in court again on 5 September.

Her character Kat became an instant hit with viewers when she arrived in Albert Square in September 2000 as part of the Slater family.