Huge EastEnders star ‘killed off’ after 26 years in shocking twist

EastEnders star Michelle Ryan has reportedly been permanently axed just a year after her big comeback to the soap as Zoe Slater.

The 42-year-old actress thrilled fans when she returned to Albert Square last June, 20 years after her iconic character initially left, before joining the soap full-time again in August.

But now it’s been confirmed by the BBC that Michelle will be leaving, with reports that Zoe is set to meet a shocking end and be killed off, making her exit permanent.

Michelle originally appeared as Zoe from 2000 to 2005, before leaving for Hollywood after landing the lead role in the Bionic Woman remake.

A major part of her highly-anticipated and action-filled return included an onscreen reunion with Zoe’s estranged mother, Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace).

The Sun alleges that Michelle requested time off from the soap earlier this year before quitting EastEnders, with writers then deciding her character would face tragedy when written out.

A BBC spokesperson told the publication on Saturday night: ‘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.’

Michelle is thought to have filmed her final scenes in Walfordlast month, with her departure set to play out over the coming months.

A source also claimed that her much heralded return to the soap had been ‘somewhat flat and lacklustre’.

The insider told The Sun: ‘There’s been a backlash about her comeback, leaving some fans disappointed with her onscreen presence.

‘There has been some disappointment backstage that the return was short-lived as everyone loved Zoe Slater’s historic moments.’

One of the most memorable scenes involving Zoe was the shock revelation, mid-argument, that ‘sister’ Kat was in fact her birth mum.

When Zoe shouted at the over-protective Kat, ‘You can’t tell me what to do, you ain’t my mother’, Kat famously responded: ‘Yes, I am!’.

Before her return, EastEnders’ executive producer Ben Wadey teased how the show would examine Zoe’s complicated relationship with Kat.

He said: ‘She was insistent that she couldn’t face seeing her mum again. But why? And why has she shunned Kat for so many years?

‘Since Zoe left, we know their relationship deteriorated until Zoe cut ties completely. I’ve always been fascinated as to why, especially as they left on good terms. We have twenty years of history to explore, and so much has happened to both of them since they were last on screen together.’

During her return, Zoe was shot in a fight between Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), with a flashback as she lay unconscious revealing that she’d given birth to twins while away from Walford.

While Zoe thought her daughter had been stillborn and lied to Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) that her children’s father was her ex-husband Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman), it later transpired that mysterious newcomer Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) was in fact Zoe’s long-lost daughter.

Josh Goodwin (Joshua Vaughan) was also confirmed to be Zoe’s son, while Jasmine later killed Anthony Trueman (Nicholas Bailey), the twins’ real father.