Zoe on EastEnders on October 9, 2025 / BBC
Michelle Ryan has backed the decision to kill off her character Zoe Slater on EastEnders, describing it as “a natural conclusion for her”.
After 20 years away, Zoe – daughter of Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) – made a shock return to Walford last year, during which time she got caught up in the murder of her ex Antony (Nicholas Bailey), reconnected with twin children she abandoned at birth and formed a bizarre bond with a stray cat.
Although fans were initially excited to see an iconic character make a comeback to the soap, within months many were critical of the bizarre direction Zoe appeared to be taking, as well as her frequently lengthy absences from the screen.
Several months ago it emerged that Ryan had quit her role as Zoe after just a year, with executive producer Ben Wadey deciding to kill off the character amid rumours of on-set tensions.
Speaking in an in-depth interview with the Radio Times, Ryan insisted that she had always intended to only return for a year and had “loved working with” Wadey.
“My agent and I sort of discussed from the outset that it would be a year, and I think that when we came to look at where Zoe was going, it just seemed like a natural conclusion for her to die, because for her to run away again would have gone against everything she’d fought for; for her children,” she said.
“So as sad as it was to hear that Zoe was going to be killed off, I was like, ‘I completely understand that.’
“And I’d always felt that I would be going back for a year because I really do like the variety I have with my career and playing different parts.
“But it was such a gift to be able to go back and have a year of playing her and getting to see all my old friends like [Laila Morse] and Jessie and Shane [Richie].
“And they’ve got such a solid, brilliant cast, and they are the loveliest group of people, so there’s so much camaraderie there, and I just feel so lucky that I got to go back when I did.”
On the fan criticism of Zoe’s storylines following her return, she replied: “I know sometimes you can work on something and be very passionate, and then it goes out, and some people respond to it, some people don’t, but I feel that Zoe really got to explore some great storylines, and just working with that company of actors was one of the best experiences I’ve had.”
Zoe’s final scenes air early next week when she is discovered dead in her bed by horrified mum Kat.
