EastEnders releases first pictures of Zoe Slater’s tragic death

Next week sees Zoe Slater’s final scenes on EastEnders as the character is killed off – and the show has now released the first pictures of the aftermath.

It was revealed earlier this year that Michelle Ryan had filmed her final scenes as Zoe Slater, just a year after her shock return to Albert Square.

Then, last month, The Sun revealed that Zoe was set to be killed off and would be found dead in her bed by mum Kat (Jessie Wallace). Those scenes are now confirmed as airing next week.

Zoe left Walford back in 2005, but Michelle Ryan stunned viewers with a surprise appearance in June 2025, twenty years after Zoe was last seen in Walford. She returned on a full-time basis later that year.

After a shaky start, she eventually managed to repaired her estranged relationship with mum Kat – the woman who she discovered was her mum in 2001, after growing up believing that they were sisters.

In the past year, she’s reunited with Jasmine (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) and Josh (Joshua Vaughan), the twins she gave up for adoption nearly two decades ago.

She’s also spent time behind bars after being accused of causing Anthony’s (Nicholas Bailey) death, and watched as brief fling Max (Jake Wood) moved on with Cindy (Michelle Collins).

This week, she returned to Albert Square after a few weeks away taking Tommy (Sonny Kendall) to stay with Kat’s sister Lynne, and revealed to Kat that she’d found Charlie Slater’s old taxi up for sale.

As she meets with the taxi’s dodgy owner in today’s episode, she panics and tried to run, but falls and hit her head, before stealing the taxi and speeding off.

Zoe brushes off her head injury, but it’s now been revealed that Kat will enter her room in next Monday’s episode to find her daughter dead in her bed.

Shocked and desperate, Kat tries to keep the news to herself, but it isn’t long before Alfie (Shane Richie) learns that Zoe is dead, leaving the family stunned.

Meanwhile, Jean (Gillian Wright), Mo (Laila Morse) and Lily (Lillia Turner) prepare to move out of No. 31, having finally been evicted by Suki (Balvinder Sopal) after accruing months of unpaid rent.

As Mo tries to buoy Lily ahead of the move, they head to The Vic to start their next chapter with the Moons, but just as things are starting to look up, they find out about Zoe…

On Tuesday, the Slaters are broken as they try to make sense of Zoe’s death. How will Josh and Jasmine react to their mum’s passing coming so soon after their dad’s?

Kat locks herself away from everyone, but she later heads to container junction where she’s comforted by Oscar (Pierre Counihan-Moullier), who talks about his mum’s experience following Abi’s death.

Kat heads back to The Vic, but she’s upset to discover her family holding a vigil for Zoe in her bedroom, and she orders everyone to leave.

Elsewhere on the square, news of Zoe’s death shocks the residents of Walford, but it particularly effects the last individual that saw her alive. Who that is remains to be seen…

As the police arrive to talk to the family, was Zoe’s death simply caused by her fall, or is there more to the story?

As the drama continues, Oscar talks to Josh about Zoe as a favour for Patrick (Rudolph Walker).

However, the pair struggle to contain their feelings for one another, and it’s not long before they end up kissing…

On Thursday, Oscar is torn between his head and his heart and ends up severing his friendship with Josh as a result – but we’re sure it won’t be long before they fall back into bed with each other once again.

As Sharon (Letitia Dean) is seen trying to comfort Kat, how will the Slaters come to terms with Zoe’s shock death?

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