EastEnders' Zoe Slater's chaotic past explained - Feuds, murders and why she left Walford

Zoe Slater is officially back in Walford. Michelle Ryan and her iconic character returned to EastEnders permanently this week and her storyline is already of to a dramatic start, complete with dark secrets, arguments outside the Vic and a shocking shooting.

The character's return was hotly anticipated by fans ever since she briefly appeared in three episodes earlier this year. Her reunion with mum Kat Slater aired on Tuesday night (2 September) and fans have flocked to the internet to share their theories around where her storyline might go.

Zoe is fan favourite on EastEnders thanks to her involvement in many of the show's iconic moments and characters. Here we take a look at her past, from her reason for leaving Walford to one of the show's most quoted arguments...

Arriving in Walford

Twenty five years ago, The Slater family first burst onto the BBC soap. A teenage Zoe moved to Albert Square with her sisters, Kat, Lynne and Little Mo, father Charlie and grandmother Mo Harris.

Later, her cousin Stacey would arrive and become one the core members of the family, but at the start, Zoe was the youngest Slater and described by the BBC as "bolshy and defiant". Though her family had just moved to Walford, she was intent on getting away and joining her Uncle Harry in Spain - something Kat was not willing to let happen.

Finding out who her mother is

Less than a year after she arrived, Zoe wanted to leave Walford to join Harry Slater, her uncle, in Spain. Her sister Kat is not willing to let that happen and orders Zoe not to go.

In a fight outside the Vic, Zoe yells the first half of one EastEnders' most iconic quotes: "You can't tell me what to do, you ain't my mother!"

"Yes, I am!" Kat responds.

She explains that she was 13 when she had Zoe and that she got pregnant after being raped by Harry. The argument leads Kat to attempt suicide, and Zoe, unable to process what she's learned, runs away.

The twist has affected Kat for the rest of her time on the show and even led to a spin-off called Kat & Alfie: Redwater, in which she goes looking for Luke, her long-lost son and Zoe's twin brother.

During her first time away from Walford, Zoe is found on the streets by Roxy Drake, a pimp who forces her into sex work. Thankfully, Kat tracks her daughter down and is able to take her home after head-butting Roxy.

Love triangle with Kat

Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed a weird look Zoe gave to Anthony Trueman when she entered the Vic on Tuesday's episode. This is because the two used to be in a relationship.

But Zoe is not the only Slater that Anthony has been involved with. In fact, before he dated her, Anthony was dating Kat. Zoe disowned Kat for disapproving of the relationship but when Anthony reveals that he's still in love with Kat, the relationship ends and Zoe runs away again.

Sleeping with Den Watts

When Zoe returns again, she starts to date Dennis Rickman, the son of iconic EastEnders villain Den Watts. The relationship with Dennis was doomed from the start, as unbeknownst to Zoe, he was in love with his adoptive sister, Sharon Watts.

On Christmas Day 2005, Zoe learns of Dennis and Sharon's affair and plan to run away together. Den convinces Zoe that the only way to keep Dennis is to say she is pregnant, as Sharon is believed to be infertile.

The plan works but Dennis refuses to sleep with Zoe again and she becomes desperate to get pregnant for real. At his suggestion, Zoe resorts to sleeping with Den.

After Dennis catches his girlfriend and his father in bed together, and realises Zoe wasn't pregnant, he leaves to be with Sharon. But not before informing Den's wife Chrissie of his affair with Zoe.

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Her involvement in Den's murder

Zoe does get pregnant by Den and a vengeful Chrissie convinces her to terminate the pregnancy and team up to exact revenge on Den. Joined by Sam Mitchell, the three hatch a plan to reveal everything he has done to his beloved daughter Sharon.

Upon learning of the way Den used her infertility against her, Sharon disowns him. When Den realised this was Chrissie's plan, he attacks her and a distressed Zoe panics and hits him with a metal doorstop. Den collapses and Zoe believes she has killed him.

But, after she leaves, Den wakes up and grabs Chrissie who hits him with the same doorstop. Zoe is led to believe she is the murderer, but is eventually told the truth by Sam. When she learns what really happened, Zoe punches Chrissie and decides to leave Walford.

Leaving Walford

Before this year, the last time Zoe was seen on EastEnders was when she was leaving for Ibiza after finding out she wasn't responsible for Den Watts' murder. At the tube station, Zoe tearfully called Kat to say goodbye.

Kat races to meet Zoe at the station and gives her the hospital bracelet she had as a baby. Zoe replied: "I love you, Mum."

The two parted on good terms, and Zoe wasn't seen again on screen until this year, when she was revealed to be staying with Stacey Slater. However, as proven by her frosty reunion with Kat, something must have changed.

In 2015, Kat tells Mo and Stacey that she was planning to save some money to visit Zoe in Spain, but Mo tells Stacey that Zoe does not want to see Kat. Mo tries to contact Zoe to change her mind, but she refuses and tells Kat that she wants to move on from her and Walford. Kat then visits the convent where she gave birth to Zoe and finds out about her son, Luke.

Return to Walford

Zoe's return to EastEnders got fully underway in the most recent episodes of the soap and fans have many theories about what she has been up to in the two decades since she left. Some have suggested she may be the real mother of Joel Marshall, one of the show's current villains.

Others have guessed she is secretly be married to another returning favourite, Max Branning. If so, she would be the second Slater to be involved with him, as Stacey has been romantically linked to Max several times, including when she was still dating his son, Bradley.

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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