Ms Barton, best known for her role as Honey Mitchell in the long-running BBC soap, appears in the production as the villainous Carabosse, a central character in the traditional Christmas pantomime.

Devon and Cornwall Police said officers were alerted after receiving reports of disruptive behaviour inside the theatre during the afternoon show.

|

Princess Theatre Torquay / INSTAGRAM

According to police, the woman had been behaving in an anti-social manner while the performance was underway, prompting concern among staff and audience members.

An off-duty police officer who was attending the pantomime as a member of the audience intervened after the woman’s conduct continued to disrupt the show.

Police said the officer initially spoke to the woman inside the venue in an attempt to calm the situation before deciding to escort her from the theatre.

However, the situation escalated as she was being removed from the building, with officers alleging the woman pushed the off-duty police officer.

|

GETTY

As a result of the alleged physical contact, the 31-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and taken into custody.

Police confirmed she remained in custody as of Monday while enquiries into the incident continue.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “It was reported that a woman had been behaving in an anti-social manner during the pantomime performance at Princess Theatre, Torquay, yesterday afternoon (Sunday).

“After engaging with the woman, an off-duty police officer escorted her from the theatre, during which time she pushed him.”

|

Princess Theatre Torquay / INSTAGRAM

Police confirmed that a 31-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.

Ms Barton has an extensive and varied theatre career that began well before her breakout role in EastEnders.

A graduate of the Guildford School of Acting in 1998, she has performed in major West End productions, national tours and at prestigious venues including the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Old Vic.

Among her major West End and national roles, the EastEnders actress starred as Roxie Hart in Chicago at the Cambridge Theatre in 2010 during a 12-week run, and reprised the role on a UK tour in 2009.

|

BBC

She has also appeared in Grease in the West End, playing Marty in the 2002 production at the Victoria Palace Theatre.

Ms Barton is a frequent performer in seasonal pantomimes, often taking on lead or villainous roles.

In 2022, she appeared in Beauty and the Beast as Fairy Bon Bon, while other pantomime roles have included Tinkerbell in Peter Pan at the Hawth Theatre in Crawley between 2016 and 2017.

She has also played the title role in Jack and the Beanstalk on multiple occasions, including productions in Eastbourne in 2009 and Reading in 2013, as well as starring as Snow White at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury between 2008 and 2009.

|

GETTY

Ms Barton has previously spoken openly about minor “on-stage mishaps” during her career.

One such moment occurred during her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2019, when her ballroom skirt became caught on lighting equipment during a live broadcast.

Recalling the incident, she said: “When I had one of my big ballroom skirts and I was coming out from behind the screens, my dress got caught on one of the pieces of lighting and I was like, ‘What if my skirt falls off on live television!?’”

The Princess Theatre has been approached for comment regarding Sunday’s disruption during the Sleeping Beauty performance.