Michelle Ryan has broken her silence on the EastEnders murder, revealing her character’s death ‘seemed like a natural conclusion’.
The actress, 42, 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 month.
It follows some backlash from fans over her return, with her long-awaited comeback branded ‘flat and bland’.
And in a new interview, Michelle opened up about her impending departure from the soap, noting that a short stint on Albert Square was always planned despite other speculation.
She told me Radio times: ‘My agent and I kind of discussed from the beginning that it would last a year, and I think when we started looking at where Zoe was going, it seemed like a logical conclusion for her to die, because running away again would have gone against everything she had fought for; for her children.
“So as sad as it was to hear that Zoe was going to be killed, I thought, ‘I completely understand that.’ AAnd I always felt like I would go back a year because I really like the variety in my career and playing different roles.”
Michelle Ryan has broken her silence on the EastEnders murder, revealing her character’s death ‘seemed like a natural conclusion’
The actress, 42, returned to the BBC soap as Zoe Slater [pictured] last June after a 20-year absence, but she has already filmed her final scenes, which will air later this month
The actress went on to say that it had been such a “gift” to be reunited with her former friends, including mother Jessie Wallace (Kat Moon), Shane Ritchie (Alfie Moon) and Laila Morse (Mo Harris).
Michelle also took the opportunity to quell rumors of bad blood between her and executive producer Ben Wadey, amid his decision to have her character written off.
Michelle insisted she “loved” working with Ben and shared that she would love to work with him again at some point because he is “such a good boss.”
Stressing that the couple is indeed on good terms, she continued, “ I’m not one to just talk nonsense, and actually Ben has been so supportive the whole time, and I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true. So I think it’s nice if people can embrace the storyline.’
Meanwhile, the soap star discussed Zoe’s heartbreaking death, with her departure filled with nostalgia as it is very similar to how she first arrived 26 years ago.
The character initially made her entrance by crashing her biological grandfather/adoptive father Charlie Slater’s black cab, and in upcoming scenes that Michelle describes as a “full-circle” moment, Zoe will steal that same cab after discovering it is for sale.
However, the action leads to Zoe hitting her head, with the blow ultimately leading to her death, and it is Mother Kat who will discover Zoe dead in her bed.
Michelle noted that filming her final scenes was so sad that show legend Laila had to leave the set because she “got emotional,” while Jessie also became upset.
The TV star went on to say that she understands that no character is “bigger than the show” and expressed her wish that fans can “take solace” in the fact that the Slaters will continue with some “really good storylines” due to Zoe’s comeback.
In July it was announced that Michelle was permanently fired from EastEnders, just 12 months after making her big comeback.
A source told the Daily Mail: ‘Michelle’s departure marks the end of a storyline that has been in the works for some time.
“My agent and I had discussed from the beginning that it would last a year, and I think when we started looking at where Zoe was going, it seemed like a logical conclusion for her to die.”
“So as sad as it was to hear that Zoe was going to be killed, I thought, ‘I completely understand that.’ And I always had the feeling that I would go back for a year’ [pictured with Jessie Wallace]
Meanwhile, the soap star discussed Zoe’s heartbreaking death, with her departure filled with nostalgia as it is very similar to how she first arrived 26 years ago.
‘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.’
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.’
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 only 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.
