Michelle Ryan addresses Zoe Slater's death in EastEnders

Actress Michelle Ryan has addressed the departure of her character, Zoe Slater, from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Ryan confirmed that her return to the show was intended as a planned one-year stint following a twenty-year absence from the role.

According to reports and Ryan’s comments, the character’s storyline will conclude with her death. After an altercation involving the purchase of her father Charlie’s old taxi, Zoe is expected to suffer a head injury and die in her sleep, where she will be discovered by Kat Moon.

Ryan described the decision to kill off the character as a mutual agreement with executive producer Ben Wadey. She noted that having Zoe die after stealing a taxi brought the character’s journey “full circle,” referencing her original arrival on the show when she crashed her father’s cab. Ryan stated that the decision was made because having the character run away again would have contradicted her motivations regarding her children.