EastEnders' Jessie Wallace shares her emotional reaction to onscreen daughter Michelle Ryan's shock return to the BBC soap after 20 years away from the Slater family
Kat Slater star Jessie Wallace has revealed she was overcome with emotion after learning of Michelle Ryan's return to EastEnders.
The actress, now 41, has reprised her role as Zoe Slater, Kat's on-screen daughter, two decades after her dramatic exit from Albert Square.
In a behind-the-scenes video shared by the official EastEnders Instagram page, Jessie admitted she cried upon hearing that Michelle was reprising her role.
She said: 'So, Michelle is back after 20 years. I've missed her tremendously, I've missed her, working with her, the whole Kat and Zoe thing, you know, going back to, 'You ain't my mother,' 'Yes I am.'
'And when I found out Michelle was coming back, I cried.
'And then when we met up, I cried because I've missed you.'
Zoe made a bombshell return to the BBC soap on Monday night's episode, after her return was kept under wraps.
Viewers will see Zoe in two further episodes this week but she will be back full-time this summer, as her mother Kat prepares to tie the knot with Alfie Moon for the third time.
Zoe had been seen as a mystery figure throughout Monday's episode, with her face finally revealed during its closing moments.
The episode hadn't been released on BBC iPlayer at 6am that morning, meaning all viewers had to tune into the evening broadcast, where Zoe's return was unveiled.
Speaking on her return to the BBC soap, Michelle said: 'It feels like coming home. After doing my first few scenes, it was like I'd never been away. It all happened at the right time.
'I'd already been thinking about a return because I'd met up with Kacey Ainsworth (Little Mo) and Kim Medcalf (Sam Mitchell) and we were reminiscing our fond memories of the show, and I'd also joined social media and saw that there was still a lot of love for the character.
'It just so happened that at the same time, EastEnders had announced a new Exec who was keen to explore the potential of a return as he was such a massive fan of Zoe and the Slaters, so both of our worlds aligned at the right time, and I'm so excited to be back.
'When I was pitched the storylines, and when I read the scripts, I knew it was the right decision.'
EastEnders new boss, Executive Producer Ben Wadey added: 'Before I even stepped into the role, Zoe Slater was on my wish-list of returnees as, although we haven't seen her on screen for twenty years, her character has transcended time due to her popular storylines.'
Since Zoe's exit from Walford 20 years ago, it's been revealed that she and Kat have become estranged.
Teasing her character's reason to come back to Albert Square, Michelle added: 'I can't say too much as there is a lot of drama to come, but Zoe is a mess.
'She's not the girl that left Walford twenty years ago, and she's been really struggling on her own.
'She has her defences up, but this week you will see that she needs help, but whether she is willing to accept it is another story.'
It comes after MailOnline revealed in February that, despite multiple attempts from bosses over the years, Michelle had refused to return to EastEnders.
A source told MailOnline: 'Bosses reached out to Michelle several times over the years, they would love to have her back. For example, as the soap was approaching its big 30th anniversary, it was a gentle approach asking if she would consider a return in the lead up to it all.
'This was at the very early stages of their plans but Michelle refused and there was a lot of disappointment amongst bosses.
The moment is still considered one of the most iconic in EastEnders' 40-year history
'It's always been quite baffling why she wouldn't want to reprise a character who is still very much adored by the fans. It's been 20 years since she left Albert Square but still people are talking about her character.'
During her time on the show, Michelle was involved in one of EastEnders' biggest storylines with it revealed that Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) was in fact Zoe's mother and not her sister, with explosive scenes seeing her yell: 'You ain't my mother!', only for Kat to reply: 'Yes I am!'
Back in 2001, EastEnders' leopard-print-loving Kat Slater, who had been sexually abused by her uncle, finally revealed to her 'sister' Zoe that she was, in fact, her mother.
It remains one of the most famous and iconic moments in EastEnders' 40-year history - a scene that has been mimicked by soap fans worldwide.
The unforgettable storyline catapulted Michelle, then 16, to superstardom, and in 2005, she walked away from Walford for the final time, five years after arriving in EastEnders with the rest of the Slater clan.
Zoe also famously kissed her best friend Kelly Taylor on a New Year's Eve night out in 2003 when they got stranded and started getting emotional.
The kiss sparked criticism at the time, but Brooke Kinsella, who played Kelly, defended the scene.
She said: 'It's not a gratuitous ratings getting move, it's not some kind of big lesbian kiss.
'It's the way two best friends who have a lot of love for each other show their emotions.'
During her time on EastEnders, Zoe also had a string of failed romances, including a disastrous relationship with Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman).
The affair - which resulted in a pregnancy - saw Zoe embroiled in the murder of Den Watts with accomplices Chrissie Watts and Sam Mitchell, which eventually led to her exit from the soap.
In the lead up to the soap's 40th, a number of former characters came back including Grant Mitchell, Bianca Jackson, Chrissie Watts, David Wicks, Nigel Bates, Mickey Miller and even Angie Watts but there was no Zoe.
Michelle admitted at the time of quitting that she 'got quite bored in the end' playing Zoe, 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. I have some really good friends from that show but the door is closed.
'I've always taken chances. I think that's how you progress – by stepping out and doing different things.
'I really do like my freedom and jumping from job to job. I just want to work with people I admire and respect, wherever that be – big budget, low budget, leading role, supporting role.'
After leaving the show 20 years ago, the star almost cracked America after landing the leading role in the re-imagining of the popular seventies TV show Bionic Woman, though the show was cancelled after just one season.
Since then the British star has appeared in several independent films, including 4.3.2.1. and Cockneys vs Zombies.
She has also had guest roles in BBC shows Merlin, Doctor Who and Death In Paradise.
Her most recent acting film appearance was in Frankenstein: Legacy where she starred as Lady Charlotte, in addition to 2025's Finding My Voice in which she played Lisa Kendall.
EastEnders fans previously speculated they wanted to see Michelle back in Albert Square, as the soap celebrated its 40th Anniversary back in February.
When Michelle shared an album of throw-back snaps of her on set 20 years ago to Instagram, her fans flocked to her comments as they were convinced she would make a return.
One penned: 'You can't convince me that you're not a secret return for the 40th, Jessie talking about wanting you to return, now this….its happening, you just can't say, double like if it's true'
'Please come back loved the kat and Zoe storyline'
'I would love Zoe to return to Eastenders if she does I would love to see Zoe have scenes with her brothers and with Stacey and Jean and Lily'
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