EastEnders legend Michelle Ryan only returned to the soap last year but has reportedly quit the soap permanently as Zoe Slater is killed off22:28, 11 Jul 2026Updated 22:45, 11 Jul 2026EastEnders is reportedly killing off Zoe Slater just a year after the soap brought her back, as Michelle Ryan has reportedly quit the show.‌Ryan and her character had been away from the soap for 20 years when she made her return in 2025. But after producers were reportedly unable to give her a break she asked for, the star was said to have quit the soap.‌A spokesperson said to the Mirror: “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.”‌The Sun reported that Zoe would be killed off and that Ryan filmed her final scenes last month. A source told them: “When she asked for time off so soon after she was written back in as a full-time cast member, it proved difficult to schedule. She threw the towel in and the atmosphere backstage has been frosty.”Before returning in 2025, Zoe had last been seen on EastEnders in 2005. She and her family had arrived only five years prior. In that time, Zoe had learned that her 'sister' Kat (Jessie Wallace) was really her mother, having given birth to her as a teenager after being assaulted by her uncle.‌The moment Zoe discovered her true parentage has gone down as one of the most iconic moments in EastEnders history, with many quoting Zoe as she screamed: "You can't tell me what to do, you ain't my mother" and Kat shouting back: "Yes I am."After returning in 2025, Zoe revealed that she had given birth to twins, but left them at the hospital when she thought her daughter had died.‌Both twins later arrived on the show, with Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) arriving first and Josh Goodwin (Joshua Vaughn) arriving a few months later.The storyline with the twins also saw Zoe be stalked by her former nemesis Chrissy Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman) and her daughter. This happened shortly before Jasmine killed her father, Anthony Trueman (Nicholas Bailey) in self-defence, which she briefly let Zoe take the fall for.Article continues belowIn between her stints on EastEnders, Ryan went to Hollywood to film the lead in a remake of the Bionic Woman. Ryan caused a stir earlier this year when she posted a picture of herself burning scripts in a fire.She wrote alongside the image: “Something cathartic about clearing out old paperwork, no need to hang on to early drafts of scripts that no longer serve the story, nor notebooks that hold a worn out narrative. Just don’t get too close to the flames.”Join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter,** Facebook**, YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage.