Michelle Ryan has left EastEnders after returning as Zoe Slater in June 2025, and the Jessie Wallace EastEnders break angle now lands on a permanent exit later this year. The short comeback gives the soap a neatly timed turnover: Ryan has already filmed her final scenes, while the departure is set to air later in 2025.
Ryan said, “It feels like [I'm] coming home. After doing my first few scenes, it was like I'd never been away.” That is the sharpest marker of how quickly the return reset the character in the show’s rhythm, even though the run itself is ending after just over a year.
Zoe Slater in June
June 2025 is the key date in this story. That is when Ryan returned as Zoe Slater, having first debuted in September 2000 and left EastEnders in 2005. The gap between those dates is the real frame here: a character with history came back, played out a fresh chapter, and is now heading out again before the year closes.
The business of soap exits depends on timing, and this one is already past the filming stage. Ryan has completed her final scenes, so the audience-facing question is not whether she is leaving, but how the show chooses to deliver it on screen.
and the Square
A spokesperson said, “We can confirm that Zoe Slater will be departing EastEnders later this year,” and added, “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.” That leaves the exit locked in, while the mechanism stays under wraps.
One source linked to EastEnders said, “Michelle's exit marks the end of a storyline that has been in the works for some time.” The same source added, “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.”
Later in 2025
The complication is simple: the report says Zoe Slater is expected to be killed off, yet the says it will not discuss future storylines. That combination tells viewers the exit is permanent, but not straightforward, and it also explains why the show is protecting the final beat until transmission.
Ryan’s return tied back to long-running familiarity in Walford, including the character’s link to Kat Slater and the on-screen history built around her. For viewers, the practical takeaway is clear: the farewell is coming later this year, the scenes are already shot, and the only missing piece is the final form of Zoe Slater’s exit.
