The heartbreaking truth behind Zoe’s death in EastEnders as Kat is shattered

EastEnders spoilers follow for Monday’s (September 14) episode, which can now be streamed on BBC iPlayer. The episode in question will air at 7:30pm.

Kat Slater’s (Jessie Wallace) whole world shattered into a million pieces after she discovered daughter Zoe (Michelle Ryan) dead in her bed.

Zoe, who returned to Walford last year after two decades away, sustained a head injury in scenes which aired last week, falling into some nearby rubble when attempting to flee from the dodgy men who owned Charlie’s cab.

The cab in question was then stolen by Zoe, which caused ructions with mum Kat, but the mother and daughter duo ultimately made peace in emotional scenes which would prove to be their last conversation.

Realising that Zoe was injured, Kat urged her to go get it checked out. Zoe promised she would in the morning but she died before morning came.

Kat subsequently found Zoe’s body while checking on her in the middle of the night and she broke down in tears. As dawn broke, she re-entered the room with a cup of tea for her daughter, pleading with her to wake up.

Big Mo (Laila Morse), Lily Slater (Lillia Turner) and Jean Slater arrived at the Vic after being kicked out of No. 31, ready to begin a fresh and exciting new chapter for their family – but little did they know what was waiting for them.

Kat headed to the bathroom to throw up, which her loved ones mistook for a sign that she was hungover. But the truth soon came to light as Alfie entered Zoe’s room to wake her up only to realise that she’d died in the night.

His sheer and utter devastation prompted a loud reaction from him, which alerted the family to the fact that something terrible had happened. When quizzed on what that something terrible was, the Queen Vic landlord was forced to break the tragic news to everyone.

When Alfie suggested contacting the authorities, Kat stole his phone and locked herself in the room with Zoe, devastated over the fact that she never got to say goodbye to her beloved daughter.

Jasmine Fisher(Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness), meanwhile, broke down in brother Josh Goodwin’s (Joshua Vaughn) arms while Mo headed to the ladies loos, sobbing over the loss of Zoe.

Fighting tears, Jean reminded Mo of just how much the family need her, with the two women sharing their love for one another in the form of a warm hug.

Jean subsequently headed to Zoe’s room with a photo album and reflecting on how they didn’t get along last year, she reminisced about Zoe’s life as a Slater and all the love the family had for her.

In emotional scenes, she branded her an ‘angel’ and asked that she look out for the remaining clan still on earth – until they see each other again.

Kat, meanwhile, was told by the police that Zoe had attempted to make a 999 call – but that the operator couldn’t make out what was being said and therefore it was marked as a low priority.

Later, the rest of Walford gathered in shock to see Zoe’s body being removed from the Vic and placed into a hearse as a heartbroken Kat chased after it, sobbing that she had lost her beloved daughter.