Michelle Ryan has come back to EastEnders as Zoe Slater just in time to get involved with the BBC soap’s Christmas storyline of the year, but the actress moved to the US first
14:00, 25 Dec 2025Updated 14:22, 25 Dec 2025
Zoe Slater has made a comeback to EastEnders in time for a shocking Christmas storyline this year
EastEnders fans were left stunned this summer when Michelle Ryan made her long-awaited return to Albert Square to reprise her role as Zoe Slater for the first time in 20 years.
Michelle first joined EastEnders in 2000 at just 16 years old, and quickly made a name for herself as Kat Slater’s troubled younger sister. Zoe’s storylines kept fans wide-eyed, particularly during the jaw-dropping revelation that Kat was actually her mother, which prompted her to hit out with the infamous line: “You ain’t my mother!”
Her romances with Dennis Rickman and Dirty Den also kept cemented Zoe’s place in soap history. But after five busy years on the BBC show, Michelle decided it was time to move on.
After leaving the BBC soap in 2005 Michelle Ryan starred in American show The Bionic Woman(Image: ITV)
The actress explained the reason why she decided to make her exit in 2005, telling the Bristol Evening Post: “Doing the same thing day in, day out. It’s just so boring. I like to jump from different things. I always saw EastEnders as an apprenticeship. I always wanted to go on and do different things.”
At the age of 21, Michelle set her sights on Hollywood and relocated to the US. Her biggest break came when she landed the lead role in a reboot of the cult 1970s series Bionic Woman, playing Jaime Sommers, whose life is saved through experimental sci-fi surgery.
While the show was cancelled after only eight episodes, it introduced Michelle to an international audience, and after returning to the UK, Michelle went on to feature in big BBC dramas including Merlin, Jekyll, and Doctor Who, where she starred alongside David Tennant.
She also showcased her stage talents in the West End revival of Cabaret opposite Will Young, and went on to appear in a variety of other films and TV shows such as Death in Paradise, Mansfield Park, and Cockneys vs Zombies.
The actress also tried her hand at stage work in Cabaret(Image: PA)
Michelle has largely kept her personal life out of the public eye, but she did recently delight fans by sharing a rare Instagram snap after attending a friend’s wedding.
The soap star has revealed that she decided to come back to EastEnders came when the timing felt right. After reconnecting with former co-stars Kacey Ainsworth and Kim Medcalf, and noticing that soap fans were still expressing their love for Zoe Slater online, she started to consider returning to the show.
She explained: “It just so happened that at the same time, EastEnders had announced a new executive producer who was keen to explore the potential of a return…So both of our worlds aligned at the right time.”
Now Michelle has returned to the BBC soap(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
While speaking about what it has been like to get back on set, she admitted: “It feels like coming home. After doing my first few scenes, it was like I’d never been away.”
But she warned viewers that Zoe’s life back in Walford will not necessarily go smoothly, adding: “Zoe is a mess…she’s been really struggling on her own.”
Zoe is set to play a key role in the BBC soap’s explosive Christmas Day episode. During a festive community feast at The Queen Vic, tensions between the Slater family and a rival clan are expected to boil over when a long-buried secret is exposed.
While the pub is eventually cleared, the drama will be far from over, as Zoe then gets caught up in a dangerous situation that spirals out of control. EastEnders bosses have teased “catastrophic consequences” for all the characters involved.
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