EastEnders‘ Michelle Ryan has finally broken her silence on Zoe Slater’s upcoming death. The actor reprised the iconic role last year after two decades away, but will be killed off on the soap next week.
Zoe’s final storyline will see her suffering a fatal bump to the head, though she initially brushes it off. But in scenes airing on 14 September, a devastated Kat Moon finds her daughter dead in her bed.
Speaking about her brief comeback, Ryan explained that she had only planned to return for a short time, adding that Zoe’s death was a “natural conclusion” for the character.
“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,” the star told Radio Times.
“Because for her to run away again would have gone against everything she’d fought for, for her children. So, as sad as it was to hear that Zoe was going to be killed off, I was like, ‘I completely understand that.’”
Ryan said that her exit will allow her to play “different parts” away from the soap and shared that she enjoys “variety” in her career.
“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 [Wallace] 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.”
Speaking about her final scenes, Ryan recalled that Morse (who plays Mo Harris) was particularly “emotional” during filming and left “before there was a big goodbye or anything”.
She continued: “But I think that’s what makes it so interesting, that it’s such a big machine that no character is bigger than the show, and I’ve always been aware of that.
“So I hope the fans do find some solace in the fact that the Slaters will continue, as far as I’m aware, have some really good storylines because Zoe came back. I’m really excited myself to see the leaving episodes because I really enjoyed working on them.”
EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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