Michelle Ryan’s Hollywood Dreams Fade Despite TV Success and Hollywood Co-Stars in Her Return as Zoe Slater

During her time on EastEnders, Michelle Ryan was one of the soap’s most iconic characters, having been at the centre of the still-quoted ‘you ain’t my mother!’ reveal.

But despite being one of the show’s biggest names, the actress, 40, bid farewell to Walford in 2005, in a bid to kickstart a new career in Hollywood.

Sadly, and like many soap stars before her, Michelle had a tough time cracking Tinseltown, appearing in just a short-lived TV series and a handful of guest roles.

Michelle herself had previously insisted she would never return to the soap, with sources sharing earlier this year she’d turned down every previously offer from bosses to reprise her role. 

But 20 years after her exit from Albert Square, Michelle has now made a shock return as Zoe Slater, with the actress hinting her character is ‘a mess’ as she reunites with her estranged mother Kat. 

During her time on the show, Michelle was involved in one of EastEnders’ biggest storylines, when it was revealed that Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) was in fact Zoe’s mother and not her sister, with explosive scenes seeing her yell: ‘You ain’t my mother!’, only for Kat to reply: ‘Yes I am!’

It remains one of the most famous and iconic moments in EastEnders’ 40-year history – a scene that has been mimicked by soap fans worldwide.

The unforgettable storyline catapulted Michelle, then 16, to superstardom, and in 2005, she walked away from Walford for the final time, five years after arriving in EastEnders with the rest of the Slater clan.

Michelle admitted at the time of quitting that she ‘got quite bored in the end’ playing Zoe, telling the Bristol Evening Post: ‘Doing the same thing day in, day out. It’s just so boring. I like to jump from different things.’

‘I always saw EastEnders as an apprenticeship. I always wanted to go on and do different things. I have some really good friends from that show but the door is closed.

‘I’ve always taken chances. I think that’s how you progress – by stepping out and doing different things.

‘I really do like my freedom and jumping from job to job. I just want to work with people I admire and respect, wherever that be – big budget, low budget, leading role, supporting role.’

After her EastEnders exit, Michelle kickstarted her bid to crack America after landing the leading role in the re-imagining of the popular seventies TV show Bionic Woman.

In the show, Michelle played bartender Jaime Sommers, who is saved from a car accident by a cutting edge operation, with her body repaired by cybernetic replacements.

Sadly, the show was a victim of the 2008 WGA strike, when production was halted after just eight episodes were filmed, and it was later axed due to low ratings.

Michelle went onto star as 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 many fans hoped could become a future companion.

On several occasions, Michelle has reprised her role as the glamorous diamond thief for a series of Big Finish audio dramas, with the most recent being in 2023. 

The star landed roles in several independent films, including Cockneys vs Zombies, where she starred alongside The Crown’s Harry Treadaway, and ensemble comedy Girl Walks into a Bar, with Danny DeVito.

In 2010, Michelle joined a cast of future Hollywood favourites such as Emma Roberts in 4.3.2.1, and she also starred in the sci-fi Andron opposite Alec Baldwin in 2015.

Michelle also took to the stage alongside Will Young in a 2012 West End production of Cabaret.

Her most recent acting film appearance was in Frankenstein: Legacy where she starred as Lady Charlotte, in addition to 2025’s Finding My Voice in which she played Lisa Kendall, which is yet to be released.

Back in February, Michelle also showcased her very youthful looks in a makeup-free Instagram post.

It seems that Michelle is keen to maintain her looks without any professional assistance as she confessed that she cuts her own hair following a YouTube tutorial.

Michelle also credited the £10 Talika Hydrating Mask as the ‘best’ in the business and the key to dewy skin.

Michelle – who polled at number four in FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women in 2005 – regularly flaunts her clear skin in makeup-free and post-workout snaps on social media.

On Monday, viewers were stunned when it was revealed that Michelle had reprised her role as Zoe Slater after 20 years away.

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. 

‘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.’

Since Zoe’s exit from Walford 20 years ago, it’s been revealed that she and Kat have become estranged.

Teasing her character’s reason to come back to Albert Square, Michelle added: ‘I can’t say too much as there is a lot of drama to come, but Zoe is a mess.

‘She’s not the girl that left Walford twenty years ago, and she’s been really struggling on her own. 

‘She has her defences up, but this week you will see that she needs help, but whether she is willing to accept it is another story.’