EastEnders star Michelle Ryan enjoyed a day out with her screen mum Jesse Wallace on Sunday – a month after he was killed off by the soap.
The 42-year-old actress was permanently fired just twelve months after making her big comeback.
Michelle returned to the BBC soap as Zoe Slater last June after a 20-year absence, but she has already filmed her final scenes, which will air later this year.
And there’s no hope that Michelle will make a comeback either, as her character Zoe has been killed off.
After filming her final scenes for the soap, she was busy on a day out with Jessie, 54, who plays Zoe’s mum Kat Slater.
Michelle took to Instagram to document their day together as they snapped a selfie before Jessie pottered around in the driver’s seat of a boat.
Michelle wrote in the caption of her post: ‘Lovely day out with Jess.’
EastEnders star Michelle Ryan enjoyed a day out with her screen mum Jessie Wallace on Sunday – a month after she was killed off by the soap
Michelle returned to the BBC soap as Zoe Slater last June after a 20-year absence. Jessie, 54, plays Zoe’s mother Kat Slater
A source told the Daily Mail last week about her departure from the soap: ‘Michelle’s departure marks the end of a storyline that has been in the works for some time.
‘With such an iconic character, Zoe’s departure will never be without drama, but bosses are remaining tight-lipped about how she will leave the Square, but as ever with the Slaters, it won’t be quiet.’
Although fans were excited about her return last year, and were somewhat surprised as she called the job “boring,” it is said that her big comeback was ultimately a disappointment.
“Michelle’s long-awaited return was somewhat flat and lackluster,” a source said The sun on Sunday.
‘There has been a lot of criticism of her comeback, leaving some fans disappointed with her screen presence.
‘There was some disappointment backstage that the return was short-lived as everyone loved Zoe Slater’s historic moments.’
An EastEnders spokeswoman told the Daily Mail: ‘We can confirm that Zoe Slater will be leaving 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.”
Michelle quit the soap for Hollywood in 2005 after landing the lead role in the remake of Bionic Woman.
When she first left Albert Square, the door was left open for her return, with her character Zoe moving to Ibiza rather than fall victim to one of the soap’s gruesome murder plots.
Still, Michelle made it clear that she had no plans to return. Stating that she had found the role ‘boring’, she said: ‘I’ve always seen EastEnders as an internship. I always wanted to move on and do other things.’
Michelle took to Instagram to document their day together as they snapped a selfie before Jessie romped around in the driver’s seat of a boat
Michelle wrote in the caption of her post: ‘Lovely day out with Jess’
During her time on EastEnders, Michelle was involved in one of the biggest storylines, when it was revealed that Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) was in fact Zoe’s mother and not her sister.
Although fans were thrilled to hear of her return last year, and somewhat surprised as she called the job “boring,” it is said that her big comeback was ultimately a disappointment.
Meanwhile, a ‘close friend’ of hers told the 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 working at EastEnders for four years, but sees her future mainly in films and modelling. She realizes that the show has put her on the map, but doesn’t want to be typecast.
‘Due to her soap commitments, she has had to turn down dozens of great modeling offers and feels like her soap role is now holding her back.’
But just when she seemed destined for worldwide fame, Michelle’s show Bionic Woman fell victim to the Writers Guild of America’s three-month strike – with production coming 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 for the episodes that aired, NBC quietly shelved the show.
Michelle returned to Britain and landed the role of the 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 that many fans hoped could become a future companion.
She was then given the opportunity to return to Hollywood where she was asked to audition for Boardwalk Empire, but remarkably she turned down the opportunity as she did not want to be tied into a long-term contract with HBO.
The role was eventually taken over by Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald.
Michelle later confessed that she made a “huge mistake,” with the series winning multiple Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG awards.
In recent years, Michelle has appeared 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 made her a household name in Britain, she declared it felt like she was ‘coming home’.
When asked why she had returned, Michelle mused: ‘It all happened at the right time.
‘I had already thought about a return because I had met Kacey Ainsworth (Little Mo) and Kim Medcalf (Sam Mitchell) and we were reminiscing about our fond memories of the show, and I had also joined social media and saw that there was still a lot of love for the character.
‘Coincidentally, EastEnders had announced a new Executive at the same time [Ben Wadey] who was keen to explore the potential of a return because he was such a big fan of Zoe and the Slaters, so both our worlds aligned at the right time, and I’m so excited to be back.
“When Ben told 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 (Jesse Wallace) was in fact Zoe’s mother and not her sister, with explosive scenes in which she shouted, “You’re not my mother!” only for Kat to respond, “Yes, I am!”
It remains one of the most famous and iconic moments in EastEnders’ 40-year history – a scene that has been recreated by soap fans around the world.
The unforgettable storyline catapulted Michelle, then 16, to superstardom in Britain.
