In the history of Albert Square, there has been a long history of a particular type of young girl: the little girl lost. These girls fall through the cracks and struggle on their own in Walford, like Mary Smith and Disa O’Brien, who eventually through tragedy, adversity and friendship overcome their issues and become characters we adore forever. There are also those young girls who are found in a decent place when they arrive, but inevitably, they begin to spiral. Zoe Slater was a classic example…
It was September 18th 2000. The Square was in mourning. A few days before, EastEnders original Ethel Skinner had breathed her last on her 86th birthday, and a calm hush had descended over Albert Square. It was not to last. Today was a busy day for Walford. Ethel’s funeral would be a celebration of her life. On the other side of the Square, a white van stopped and asked for directions. The Slater family had arrived.
…
FAMILY DYNAMICS
When the Slater family burst onto the scene in EastEnders in September 2000, they brought a whirlwind of drama, chaos, and noisy moments to Albert Square! The family, led by the affable and sometimes bumbling Charlie Slater, quickly became central figures in the soap. Charlie, a cab driver with a heart of gold, was the patriarch who tried his best to keep his lively daughters in check – not an easy job! His mother-in-law, the feisty and sharp-tongued Mo Harris, added an extra layer of spice to the household dynamics. Mo, with her penchant for scheming and her no-nonsense attitude, often found herself at the centre of various escapades and conflicts – and was usually more trouble to Charlie than his children!
And his children? His precious girls? The Square’s inhabitants, male or female, wouldn’t know what hit them! The Slater sisters were a force to be reckoned with.
Talk about sisters, doing it for themselves! Kat Slater, the eldest, was a fiery and bold character, who never shied away from speaking her mind. Her striking looks and vibrant personality made her an instant favourite among Walford’s red blooded men!
Lynne Slater, another of Charlie’s daughters, was more down-to-earth and practical. The ‘sensible’ one. She worked at the local launderette and was in a relationship with Garry Hobbs, a mechanic with a good heart, but who often found himself in stupid situations – mainly because he seemed to be daft as a brush and as much use as an oily overall! Their relationship had its ups and downs, but Lynne’s loyalty to her family was unwavering.
Little Mo, the gentle and kind-hearted sister, faced her own set of challenges. Her marriage, involving domestic abuse at the hands of her husband, Trevor, was both harrowing and powerful, showcasing her strength and resilience as she eventually found the courage to stand up to him.
Zoe Slater, portrayed by Michelle Ryan, is a complex and multi-layered character. She is initially introduced as a spirited and somewhat rebellious teenager, but her character evolves significantly over time; Zoe is known for her fiery temperament and strong-willed nature, often standing up for herself and those she loves. Her determination and resilience are evident in the way she handles the numerous challenges and dramatic revelations in her life, including the shocking discovery that Kat Slater is actually her mother, not her sister. Yep. We have to go there.
“YOU AIN’T MY MOTHER!”
I bet you heard the next line echoing in your head as soon as you read it.
Yep, for months we’d seen Kat looking over at Zoe, a look of sorrow in her eyes, a look painted on her face more often than her garish make-up. It was finally confirmed when the family organised Zoe’s 18th birthday: when Kat took Charlie to one side and tearfully told him how much she wished she could hold her little girl – because she was “my baby, Dad! Zoe’s my baby!”
When Charlie’s brother Harry arrived, to all of Walford a jolly old bloke, the family seemed to be in high spirits. There were a few dodgy moments – Kat would move the subject on whenever Harry was brought up, or wouldn’t sit near him at lunch – but other than that, things were going swimmingly. So swimmingly, in fact, that flush Harry offered Zoe a job out in Spain in ‘one of his bars.’ For Kat, alarm bells started screaming. After a night drinking at a hen do, Zoe excitedly announced her plans to move to Spain and was going to accept her great-uncle’s offer!
Kat was incredulous and she yelled at Zoe: she wasn’t going and that was that. When Zoe told her loud-mouth sister that she couldn’t tell her what to do… well, you know the rest. The night that followed was a life-changing one, full of revelations, long-hidden truths coming to light and, ultimately, a family ripped apart: Kat and Zoe fought over the situation, Zoe not believing a word Kat said: she was drunk, or high, or winding her up, which then changed to questions once the look on Kat’s face began to sink in – When did Kat have her? When she was 14? Who was her dad? Why didn’t anyone tell her? Who else knew?
Through tears, Kat told her everything: how Harry had crept into her room at night, told her she was his favourite, his little princess Kathleen, just like her lovely mother. Sickening. Kat had fallen pregnant as a result. Harry had never known he was the father. Her mother, Viv, and her Nan Mo, covered it up and took Kat away privately. When Kat gave birth to twins, it was decided by Viv that they should keep the little girl. Kat, barely conscious, had no knowledge of much of these events, out for the count. The baby boy was adopted and taken to Ireland. More on that in a bit…
Zoe was brought home to the Slaters as their baby sister – the sisters were told the truth only when they were older. Mostly. But back then, only Mo and Charlie knew the truth and Kat was instructed, or rather ordered, to treat Zoe as her sister. Until now.
The family reacted as well as they could. Kat promptly left and overdosed, landing herself in hospital. The family rallied around Kat and didn’t notice when Zoe, hurting just as much, felt to blame for what had happened. She did what many teenage girls do when they can’t cope – she ran.
Despite her tough exterior, Zoe had a vulnerable side that she often tried to hide. Her struggles with identity and belonging are central to her character arc, especially after learning about her true parentage. This revelation deeply affects her, leading to moments of emotional turmoil and self-doubt. However, Zoe’s ability to bounce back from these hardships showcases her inner strength and tenacity.
ZOE ON THE STREETS
While away, Zoe contacted Little Mo – the only other member of the Slater family who was oblivious to Zoe’s true parentage. Little Mo luckily persuaded Zoe to come home, but after another furious argument with Kat, Zoe left once again.
She ended up living on the streets feeling hopeless, where she was later discovered sick and penniless by Roxy Drake, a pimp who was determined to recruit Zoe. Roxy ‘kindly’ provided Zoe with meals and cigarettes, found her a flat – but then forced Zoe to prostitute herself.
Roxy and a fellow prostitute, Kelly Taylor dressed and made-up Zoe for her prostitution work, however Zoe got so drunk with nerves she ended up vomiting on her client! The work is not for everyone!
The following day, Kat arrived to support Zoe and take her home, but Roxy tried to prevent her from taking Zoe. Kat headbutted Roxy and left with Zoe anyways, regardless of Roxy’s input. Later, Kelly followed Zoe to the Square. Owing her a debt, the Slaters took Kelly in as one of their own and her and Zoe bonded like sisters – when they weren’t arguing about boys or clothes.
THE MEN IN HER LIFE
Kat and Anthony Trueman had a brief but passionate fling while Zoe was away. She was feisty and he liked it. She snuck him to the Slater house, took great delight when he got caught, and Anthony felt every inch of the humiliation of the local doc being caught in his boxers by a gaggle of women…
But he couldn’t handle Kat’s wild lifestyle. Or rather he couldn’t keep up! After a while, he started talking with Zoe and they flirted up a storm: her on the rebound from Jamie Mitchell and him from Kat. The night went well. Very well. Anthony found himself falling hook, line and sinker for Zoe: she was a pleasant, intelligent woman, who surely would delight his colleagues in the medical field…
He proposed marriage, but of course there was a snag. The Slaters were furious! This led to a very public fight between the two clans that had to be witnessed to be believed! Zoe accepted, but the family just couldn’t cope with it, not after he had had his relationship with Kat, and she was still hurting.
Eventually, Anthony couldn’t keep it to himself and proved that good doctors are hard to find by sleeping with Kat, getting her pregnant (which she miscarried) and confessed to still having feelings for her mother to Zoe herself. He was trying to be honest, but it gave Zoe the chance to listen to common-sense and she finished with Anthony, who was left a miserable guy until he left in 2003 – Cambodia wouldn’t be far enough it seems!
DIRTY DEN’S MANIPULATION
Despite running away after the disaster that was Anthony, Zoe returned to life with a renewed step. She had Kelly, best friend supreme, her relationship with Kat varied (it always depended on the time of day) and Zoe caught the sights of serial player Dennis Rickman, the son of the infamous Dirty Den Watts.
Zoe and Dennis seemed to make a good couple and, for a while at least, she seemed to level Dennis out. It wasn’t her, however, it was a different passion: one for his new lover, Sharon Watts.
Zoe upped her game. She would keep her man and win. She did this remarkably well. Once Den returned and discovered Sharon and Dennis, he was horrified. This could not stand: he did everything thing he could and manipulated Sharon and Dennis both, with tales of fresh starts and families running the Vic together. It worked and, for a time, Zoe and Dennis were happy, while Sharon looked on, clearly envious.
Come Christmas 2004 though, the two lovers were back on. Their family in the dark, they intended to announce their news on Christmas Day around dinner and escape to America, starting again where nobody would know them or judge them. A sound idea: but when they brought it up around dinner, the reaction from the Watts family was one of absolute indignity! Panicking that his family (and more importantly, his dreams of a Watts-family run Vic) were crumbling – Den appealed to Zoe: lie. Tell Dennis you’re pregnant and his conscience will keep him around.
Den was right. Dennis heard the lie and fell for it, leaving Sharon to depart alone. Zoe now had the task of getting pregnant quickly before Dennis noticed she wasn’t! She started running unscheduled bedroom marathons to quicken the process, but this didn’t work. Eventually, she agreed with Den’s most recent suggestion: sleep with him to get pregnant!
Grossed out, but desperate to hold onto Dennis and being blackmailed by Den, Zoe did the deed and Dennis walked in, either designed by Den or not, and he left the Square, leaving Zoe not only bereft that her actions had cost her her man, but also left her, in a true soap land twist, pregnant with Den’s child.
THE COVEN OF WALFORD
Chrissie Watts was not to be messed with. Everywhere she went, she heard a new story about her husbands’ philandering ways. Every affair, every dodgy deal, every sin of Den Watts was exposed to Chrissie and, after discovering Zoe’s pregnancy through Dennis, she was determined to deny Den everything she had wanted: a new child.
She skilfully took every word Zoe said to her in and acted like an ally, who would help her through her break-up. Manipulating Zoe was easy, as she was so fragile, and Chrissie convinced her the right thing to do would be to terminate the pregnancy. This she did, which had the desired result. No more baby, Zoe in pieces and Sam Mitchell in her corner, she planned an evening of vengeance.
With the three women in the Vic, Den was confronted by his crimes. They were rattled off: his affair with Zoe to purposely break up Dennis and Sharon, the pregnancy, his deception to Sharon, his tolerance, or lack of, regarding Dennis, the way he had ripped off Sam and stolen from Chrissie! He laughed it all off!
Until Sharon stepped from the shadows, horrified. She had heard Den say every word and, in disgust, she fled the Square, decreeing that Den had been dead since 1989 and she wanted nothing more to do with him! Returning to the Vic, he attacked Chrissie and Zoe smacked him across the head with a door stop to save her life.
Den dead on the floor, Zoe panicked: she had killed a man. Chrissie ordered her upstairs and Sam to the back and, unbeknown to Zoe at least, Chrissie finished a still-alive Den off. With Zoe only guilty of self-defence actions, Chrissie let her believe she had killed Den and this left Zoe inconsolable, scared of every shadow and jumping at every loud noise.
She became such a nervous wreck that she threatened to give everything away and Chrissie had to shut Zoe up. She paid for a one-way ticket for Spain, although Zoe was almost talked out of it, and Sam and Chrissie, who had both known the truth, had no choice but to let Zoe go and absolve her of any involvement; they had after all, dragged her into the whole thing.
DOOF-DOOF
So the time came for the traumatised Zoe to leave Albert Square. With a stolen Albert Square sign and the best possible relationship, for now, with her mum, Zoe Slater left for Spain.
Kat joined her a few years later, but Zoe didn’t want to know. She had moved on, gotten over everything, was getting married and planning children of her own. A fresh start without the past. That would not include Kat, and despite frequent attempts by various family members, Zoe never did reunite with her mum.
Her twin, Luke Slater, renamed Dermott Dolan and taken to the Irish town of Redwater, would be a different story: he would be traumatised in a whole different way. Maybe one day, hopefully, we’ll find out more about him. But for now, he remains another untold and missing chapter to the story…
As for Zoe herself, she had a terrific impact on the Square: she formed deep bonds with her family members, particularly with Kat, despite their tumultuous relationship. Her romantic entanglements, including her ill-fated relationship with Dennis Rickman, further illustrate her passionate and sometimes impulsive nature.
Zoe’s journey is marked by her quest for love, acceptance, and a sense of identity, making her, truly, one of the most memorable characters in the 40-year history of the show.
A Walk Through Walford 
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