EastEnders' Zoe Slater Found Dead by Mum Kat in Shock Scenes

EastEnders viewers watched Zoe Slater die in Thursday's episode, discovered lifeless by her mother Kat Slater above the Queen Vic pub in Walford. Zoe is played by Michelle Ryan.

Earlier in the week, Zoe had fallen and hit her head on concrete while trying to get hold of Charlie Slater's old cab. The fall caused her to bleed, but she chose to ignore the injury, unaware it would prove fatal.

In Thursday's instalment, Kat woke at 3am to the sound of Zoe's cat, Mini Mo, meowing outside her daughter's bedroom door. "Oi you, you're going to wake Zoe up," she told the cat.

Kat then opened the door and found Zoe lying on the bed fully clothed, including her shoes.

As she turned her daughter over to try to wake her, Kat whispered, "Zoe, why are you still dressed?" Realising Zoe was not breathing, she began to panic, exclaiming, "No!" Viewers will have to wait until Friday's episode to find out what happens next.

Michelle Ryan on Zoe's exit

The death scenes aired just days after Ryan broke her silence on being killed off, telling Radio Times that her character's death "seemed like a natural conclusion."

"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."

Ryan said it had been a "gift" to be reunited with former co-stars including Jessie Wallace, who plays Kat Moon, Shane Ritchie, who plays Alfie Moon, and Laila Morse, who plays Mo Harris.

She also moved to dismiss rumours of bad blood with executive producer Ben Wadey over his decision to write her character off, insisting she "loved" working with him and would like to work with him again because he is "such a good boss." "I'm not somebody who's just going to talk bulls**t, and, actually, Ben has been so supportive the entire time, and I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. So I think that it will be nice if people can embrace the storyline," she said.

Backlash over her comeback

It was announced in July that Ryan had been axed from EastEnders permanently, just 12 months after her grand comeback. A source told the Daily Mail: "Michelle's exit marks the end of a storyline that has been in the works for some time. With such an iconic character, Zoe's exit is never going to be without drama, but bosses are keeping tight-lipped about how she leaves the Square, but as always with the Slaters, it's not going to be quiet."

While fans had been delighted by her return and somewhat surprised, given that Ryan had once famously called the job "boring," her comeback is said to have ultimately disappointed. "Michelle's long-awaited return has been somewhat flat and lacklustre," a source told The Sun on Sunday. "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 short-lived, as everyone loved Zoe Slater's historic moments."

Why she left in 2005

Ryan quit EastEnders in 2005 to move to Hollywood after landing the lead role in the Bionic Woman remake. The door was left open for Zoe's return at the time, with the character moving to Ibiza rather than being killed off. Ryan made clear then that she had no plans to come back, calling the role "boring" and saying, "I always saw EastEnders as an apprenticeship. I always wanted to go on and do different things." A close friend told Sunday People at the time that Ryan believed she had "the looks and talent to succeed at the highest level" and felt her soap role was holding her back.

Career after Walford

Bionic Woman was hit by the three-month Writers Guild of America strike, which halted production after eight episodes. The remaining five planned episodes were never filmed, and NBC quietly shelved the show after poor ratings. Ryan returned to Britain and played the villainous Nimueh in the first series of BBC fantasy drama Merlin, and guest-starred in the 2009 Doctor Who special Planet of the Dead. She later turned down an audition for HBO's Boardwalk Empire because she did not want a lengthy contract, a role that went to Kelly Macdonald; the series went on to win multiple Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG awards, and Ryan later admitted turning it down had been a "big mistake." More recently she has appeared in independent films including Cockneys v Zombies, alongside Harry Treadaway, and Girl Walks into a Bar, with Danny DeVito.

Her return to the Square

When her comeback was announced last year, Ryan said it felt like she had "come home." She explained that meeting former co-stars Kacey Ainsworth and Kim Medcalf and reminiscing about the show, alongside joining social media and seeing continued love for Zoe, had prompted her to consider returning. She said the arrival of new executive producer Ben Wadey, a self-described massive fan of Zoe and the Slaters, meant "both of our worlds aligned at the right time."

An iconic Walford storyline

During her original run, Ryan starred in one of EastEnders' most famous storylines, when it was revealed that Kat Slater was in fact Zoe's mother rather than her sister, with Zoe shouting, "You ain't my mother!" and Kat replying, "Yes I am!" The scene remains one of the most iconic moments in the soap's history and has been widely imitated by fans.