BREAKING NEWS EastEnders icon Zoe Slater RETURNS to the soap as Michelle Ryan reprises her role after 20 years (and she's back for good!)
EastEnders icon Zoe Slater has made a bombshell return to the BBC soap after 20 years away.
The actress, best known for her iconic 'You ain't my muvva!' moment, made her first appearance in Monday's episode, after her return was kept under wraps.
Viewers will see Zoe in two further episodes this week but she will be on board full-time this summer.
Speaking on her return to the BBC soap, Michelle said: 'It feels like coming home.
'After doing my first few scenes, it was like I'd never been away. It all happened at the right time.
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'I'd already been thinking about a return because I'd met up with Kacey Ainsworth (Little Mo) and Kim Medcalf (Sam Mitchell) and we were reminiscing our fond memories of the show, and I'd also joined social media and saw that there was still a lot of love for the character.
'It just so happened that at the same time, EastEnders had announced a new Exec who was keen to explore the potential of a return as he was such a massive fan of Zoe and the Slaters, so both of our worlds aligned at the right time, and I'm so excited to be back.
'When I was pitched the storylines, and when I read the scripts, I knew it was the right decision.'
EastEnders new boss, Executive Producer Ben Wadey added: 'Before I even stepped into the role, Zoe Slater was on my wish-list of returnees as, although we haven't seen her on screen for twenty years, her character has transcended time due to her popular storylines.'
The mother-daughter spectacle with Kat in 2001 cemented Zoe as one of the BBC soap's most iconic characters.
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