A much loved EastEnders star is tipped to return to the BBC show this year – reprising her role as one of the soap’s most iconic characters a full 20 years after she walked away

EastEnders fans may need to brace themselves for a bombshell – as rumours have suggested Michelle Ryan will be returning to Albert Square. The 41-year-old TV star famously played Zoe Slater on the BBC soap from 2000 until 2005, and appearing in 559 episodes.

Her character was involved in one of the most explosive and iconic moments of soap history – when she dismissively told Jessie Wallace’s Kat Slater that she couldn’t order her around, famously barking: “You ain’t my mother!” Only for Kat to deliver the explosive response: “Yes I am!

Michelle bowed out of EastEnders in June 2005 when she departs Walford for a new life in Ibiza after being wrongly made to believe she had killed Den Watts. But now it has been reported that Michelle will make a return to the show that launched her into the spotlight.

Fans had hoped to see Zoe return amid the dramatic 40th anniversary events on EastEnders earlier this year – that saw Martin Fowler get killed off and Angie Watts, who had an off-screen death in 2002, make a shock return as a hallucination in the mind of Sharon Watts as she battled to stay alive following an accident.

Now Zoe is expected to return to the Square at some point in 2025. A source told The Sun: “Bosses have repeatedly reached out to Michelle over the years, but the timing has never been quite right.

Michelle played Zoe Slater on the show – the unexpected daughter of Jessie Wallace’s Kat Slater ( 
Image:
BBC)
“People are still talking about her character, so it’s a real coup to bring her back. She feels like now is the perfect moment — and there was an exciting script on the table.” A spokesperson for the BBC offered “no comment” when asked about the reports of Michelle’s return.

The Mirror also contacted representatives of Michelle for comment. The latest suggestion of a return comes just over six months after Michelle confirmed she would consider returning to the BBC show.

Speculation was ignited last November when Little Mo Slater actress Kacey Ainsworth shared a photograph on social media and wrote: Just got back from a lovely dog walk with my friend Kacey. We worked together many moons ago (no pun intended) on Eastenders as sisters. Part of the Slater family

Asked about a comeback she replied to one fan: “Never say never,” before telling another: “That’s for the producers to decide.” Explaining her past decision to not come back, she went on: “That has been the case. Moving forward who knows what could happen. I genuinely have no idea. If that changes I would post to let people know.”

Away from EastEnders, Michelle has had a reasonably steady career as she continues to act. She has had roles in Agatha Christie’s Marple, Mansfield Park, Death in Paradise and even Doctor Who over the years.

She has also enjoyed success in film roles, and is set to star in a film called Finding My Voice this year. Respectably, Michelle has never resorted to appearing in reality shows in order to try to stay in the spotlight – with not a Dancing On Ice, Celebrity Big Brother, I’m A Celeb or Strictly Come Dancing credit anywhere on her CV.

The star has updated fans about her life via social media, frequently posting from Paris in recent weeks and revealing what movies she has been watching at the cinema lately.

The star also connected with fans from her doomed sci-fi drama Bionic Woman, a 2007 remake of The Bionic Woman series from the 1970s. Tipped as a huge show for the British star, the American series was savagely cancelled after just eight episodes

Last week, she shared a photo of promotional photos from the series that she has been sending to fans. She wrote in an accompanying caption on Instagram: “Answering fan mail time. Thank you to fans in the US for sending dollars for postage.

“I always hope the letters makes it across the postal systems. And to all fans I need to get some new photos printed so if you need the photos sooner rather than later please send images you would like me to sign and I will collect from my agency or they will send on to me.”