| EastEnders character |
 |
| Zoe Slater |
| Portrayed by | Michelle Ryan |
| Created by | Tony Jordan |
| Duration | 2000–05 |
| First appearance | 18 September 2000 |
| Last appearance | 24 June 2005 |
| Classification | Former; regular |
| Profile |
|
| Date of birth | 1 February 1984 |
| Home | Ibiza |
| Occupation | Market trader (clothing) |
| |
Zoe Slater is a fictional character from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michelle Ryan.
[edit] Storylines
Zoe arrives in Walford with her family, presumed father Charlie (Derek Martin), sisters Kat (Jessie Wallace), Lynne (Elaine Lordan) and Little Mo (Kacey Ainsworth), and grandmother Mo (Laila Morse), in September 2000. Over a year later, Zoe and Kat argue about Zoe's decision to move away to live with her uncle Harry (Michael Elphick), and Kat blurts out that she is Zoe's real mother. She then explains that she fell pregnant at 13 after Harry raped her. Zoe is shell-shocked, and Kat slashes her wrists in despair. She recovers but Zoe runs away, unable to take in all the recent revelations.
While away, Zoe contacts Little Mo, the only other member of the family who did not know about Zoe's parentage, who persuades Zoe to come home, but after another argument with Kat, Zoe leaves again. She ends up living on the streets where she is discovered sick and penniless by Roxy Drake (Tracy Brabin), a pimp determined to recruit Zoe. Roxy provides Zoe with meals and cigarettes, finds her a flat and forces her to prostitute herself. Roxy and fellow prostitute Kelly Taylor (Brooke Kinsella) dress and make-up Zoe, but she gets drunk and vomits on her client. Kat arrives the next day to take Zoe home, but Roxy tries to prevent her taking Zoe, so Kat headbutts her.
Zoe gets engaged to Anthony Trueman (Nicholas Bailey), but leaves yet again, returning several months later, this time with Kelly in tow, and her engagement to Anthony is broken off. She briefly dates Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman), but he is secretly in love with his adopted sister Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), and they eventually reveal their relationship. Sharon and Dennis's father Den (Leslie Grantham) suggests that to keep Dennis, Zoe should claim she is pregnant, since Sharon is infertile. The plan works but Zoe worries Dennis will realise she is not pregnant, and he refuses to sleep with her. Den offers to sleep with her so she can get pregnant and pretend the baby is Dennis's. Dennis catches them in bed together and leaves, but not before telling Den's wife Chrissie (Tracy-Ann Oberman).
Zoe saves Chrissie from Den.
Chrissie persuades Zoe to abort the baby, then tells her they should team up for revenge on Den. They get together with Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) to do this, and Den physically attacks Chrissie. Zoe stops him by attacking him with a metal doorstop, supposedly killing him. She runs off and Sam goes after her to calm her down. However, he is not dead, and he grabs Chrissie. She hits him again with the doorstop, killing him. Zoe is led to believe that she killed Den, though Sam sees Chrissie kill Den and eventually tells Zoe, who punches Chrissie. Zoe leaves Ibiza shortly afterwards, and she and Kat finally establish a true mother-daughter relationship.
[edit] In popular culture
The character of Zoe Slater has been spoofed in the cartoon sketch show 2DTV.
[edit] External links
