EastEnders' Zoe Slater is found dead by her mum, Kat, in heartbreaking scenes in Thursday's episode.Fans of the BBC soap will know that earlier this week Zoe, played by Michelle Ryan, fell over and hit her head on concrete while trying to get Charlie Slater's old cab back.The fall caused her to bleed, but she chose to ignore it... blissfully unaware that it would lead to her death. During Thursday's instalment of the programme, Kat is left shaken as she discovers her daughter's lifeless body.She woke up at 3am to Zoe's cat Mini Mo, meowing outside of her daughter's room on the landing of the Queen Vic.'Oi you, you're going to wake Zoe up,' she told the cat. EastEnders' Zoe Slater is found dead by her mum, Kat, in heartbreaking scenes in Thursday's episode Kat finds Zoe not breathing on the bed fully clothed, including her shoesKat then opened the door and saw Zoe lying on the bed fully clothed, including her shoes.As she turned her over in an attempt to wake her up, she whispered: 'Zoe, why are you still dressed?'But as she soon realised that she wasn't breathing, Kat started to panic.'No!' she exclaims.Viewers will have to wait until Friday's episode to see what happens next.It comes just days after Michelle broke her silence on being killed off fromt EastEnders, revealing that her character's death 'seemed like a natural conclusion'. The actress, 42, returned to the BBC soap as Zoe in June 2025 after a 20-year absence and had already filmed her final scenes the month before.It follows some fan backlash over her return, with her highly-anticipated comeback branded 'flat and lacklustre'. She is left shaken as she finds her daughters lifeless body on the bed And speaking in an interview, Michelle opened up about her exit from the soap, noting that a short stint in Albert Square was always on the cards despite speculation otherwise. She told Radio Times: 'My agent and I sort of discussed from the outset that it would be a year, and I think that when we came to look at where Zoe was going, it just seemed like a natural conclusion for her to die, because for her to run away again would have gone against everything she'd fought for; for her children. 'So as sad as it was to hear that Zoe was going to be killed off, I was like, ‘I completely understand that. And I'd always felt that I would be going back for a year because I really do like the variety I have with my career and playing different parts.'The actress went on to say that it had been such a 'gift' to be reunited with her former pals including onscreen mum Jessie Wallace (Kat Moon), Shane Ritchie (Alfie Moon) and Laila Morse (Mo Harris).Michelle also took the opportunity to quash rumours of bad blood between her and executive producer Ben Wadey amid his decision to have her character written off.Michelle insisted that she 'loved' working with Ben and told how she would love to work with him once again at some point because he's 'such a good boss'.Emphasising that the pair are indeed on good terms, she continued: ' I’m not somebody who's just going to talk bulls**t, and, actually, Ben has been so supportive the entire time, and I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. So I think that it will be nice if people can embrace the storyline.'It was announced back in July that Michelle was axed from EastEnders permanently just 12 months after she made her grand comeback.A source told the Daily Mail: 'Michelle’s exit marks the end of a storyline that has been in the works for some time. It comes just days after Michelle broke her silence on being killed off EastEnders, revealing that her character's death 'seemed like a natural conclusion' The actress, 42, returned to the BBC soap as Zoe [pictured] in June 2025 after a 20-year absence but she has already filmed her final scenes, which will air later this month'With such an iconic character, Zoe’s exit is never going to be without drama, but bosses are keeping tight-lipped about how she leaves the Square, but as always with the Slaters, it’s not going to be quiet.'While fans had been delighted to hear of her return last year, and somewhat surprised seeing as she famously called the job 'boring', it's said her grand comeback was ultimately a disappointment.'Michelle's long-awaited return has been somewhat flat and lacklustre,' a source told The Sun on Sunday.'There's been a backlash about her comeback, leaving some fans disappointed with her on-screen presence.'There has been some disappointment backstage that the return was short-lived, as everyone loved Zoe Slater's historic moments.'Michelle quit the soap in 2005 for Hollywood after landing the lead in the Bionic Woman remake.When she first left Albert Square, the door was kept open for her return, with her character Zoe moving to Ibiza rather than being the victim of one of the soap's gruesome murder plots.Yet Michelle made it clear she had no intention of coming back, declaring she had found the role 'boring' and stating: 'I always saw EastEnders as an apprenticeship. I always wanted to go on and do different things.'Meanwhile, a 'close friend' of hers was quoted telling Sunday People at the time: 'Without sounding arrogant, Michelle believes she has the looks and talent to succeed at the highest level.'She has been in EastEnders for four years but sees her future very much in films and modelling. She realises the show has put her on the map but doesn't want to be typecast.'Because of her soap commitments she's had to turn down dozens of great modelling offers and feels her soap role is now holding her back.'However, just as she seemed destined for global stardom, Michelle's show Bionic Woman was a victim of the three-month Writers Guild of America strike – which saw production grind to a halt after just eight episodes had been filmed.Ultimately, the remaining five episodes planned for the series were not filmed, and after low ratings on the ones that aired, NBC quietly shelved the show.Michelle returned to the UK and landed the role of villainous Nimueh in the first series of BBC fantasy Merlin, and guest starred in Doctor Who Special Planet Of The Dead in 2009, a character many fans hoped could become a future companion.She then had a chance to return to Hollywood, being asked to audition for Boardwalk Empire, but remarkably she turned the opportunity down because she didn't want to be roped into a lengthy contract with HBO.The role was ultimately snapped up by Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald.Michelle later confessed that she'd made a 'big mistake', with the series going on to earn multiple Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG awards.The last few years saw Michelle star in several independent films, including Cockneys v Zombies, where she starred alongside The Crown's Harry Treadaway, and ensemble comedy Girl Walks into a Bar, with Danny DeVito.When it was announced last year that Michelle was returning to the soap that had made her a household name in the UK, she declared it felt like she'd 'come home'.Asked why she'd returned, Michelle mused: '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 [Ben Wadey] 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 Ben pitched me the storylines, and when I read the scripts, I knew it was the right decision.'During her original time on the show, Michelle was involved in one of EastEnders' biggest storylines, when it was 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!'It remains one of the most famous and iconic moments in EastEnders' history – a scene that has been mimicked by soap fans worldwide.