EastEnders is reportedly killing off Zoe Slater just a year after her return, as Michelle Ryan has quit the soap. The actor returned to the role in 2025 after a 20-year absence, but has now departed following reported disagreements over time off.
A spokesperson for the BBC soap said: “We can confirm Zoe Slater will be departing EastEnders later this year. We wish Michelle Ryan all the best for the future.” The Sun reported that Zoe would be killed off and that Ryan filmed her final scenes last month. A source told the newspaper: “When she asked for time off so soon after she was written back in as a full-time cast member, it proved difficult to schedule. She threw the towel in and the atmosphere backstage has been frosty.”
Zoe first appeared on EastEnders in 2000 alongside her mother Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace). The character became famous for the iconic 2005 scene where she discovered Kat was actually her mother, screaming: “You can't tell me what to do, you ain't my mother.” After returning in 2025, Zoe revealed she had given birth to twins but left them at the hospital, leading to a storyline involving stalking by Chrissy Watts and the arrival of her children Jasmine and Josh.
Between her stints, Ryan moved to Hollywood to star in the lead role in a remake of Bionic Woman. Earlier this year, she caused a stir by posting a picture of herself burning scripts, writing: “Something cathartic about clearing out old paperwork... just don’t get too close to the flames.”
