EastEnders legend Michelle Ryan axed permanently from the soap just a year after comeback as Zoe Slater is killed off
EASTENDERS’ Michelle Ryan has been axed just a year after her comeback.
The 42-year-old delighted fans last year by returning to Walford as Zoe Slater after a 20-year absence.
But shortly after returning to the screen, she asked bosses for time off earlier this year.
Michelle quit the soap, but scriptwriters have now made her decision permanent by killing off her character.
Michelle filmed her final scenes last month, and viewers will see Zoe’s departure play out on the BBC One soap in the coming months.
A source said: “Michelle’s long-awaited return has been somewhat flat and lacklustre.
“There’s been a backlash about her comeback, leaving some fans disappointed with her on-screen presence.
“There has been some disappointment backstage that the return was shortlived as everyone loved the Zoe Slater’s historic moments.”
Zoe and the Slater family took Albert Square by storm when they arrived in 2000.
One of EastEnders’ most iconic plot twists was when “sister” Kat, played by Jessie Wallace, was revealed to be Zoe’s birth mum.
When Zoe fell out with an overprotective Kat, she screamed: “You can’t tell me what to do, you ain’t my mother”, with Kat famously shouting back “Yes, I am!”.
Michelle left the soap in 2005 to go to Hollywood when she landed the lead in the Bionic Woman remake.
Opening up last year about her decision to return, Michelle said it was about feeling emotional at the show’s 40th anniversary in 2025, coupled with a meeting with actress Kacey Ainsworth, 57, who played her aunt Little Mo.
Michelle said: “We were reminiscing about the good times, how it was prime-time television, and there were such great scripts.”
She made a brief return to EastEnders in June last year before returning full-time in September.
But fans were left seriously underwhelmed by scenes over Christmas where Zoe handed herself in for murder — with some calling them the “worst ever.”
Michelle then caused a stir in January when she shared a cryptic photo of her burning scripts in a fire.
She wrote on Instagram: “Something cathartic about clearing out old paperwork, no need to hang on to early drafts of scripts that no longer serve the story, nor notebooks that hold a worn out narrative.
“Just don’t get too close to the flames.”
An EastEnders spokeswoman said: “We can confirm Zoe Slater will be departing EastEnders later this year. We wish Michelle Ryan all the best for the future.
“However, we never comment on future storylines as we don’t want to spoil it for the viewers.”
An on-set source said: “Bosses are keeping tight-lipped about how she leaves the Square, but as always with the Slaters, it’s not going to be quiet.”
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