Why Michelle Ryan returned to ‘boring’ EastEnders job after her bid to crack Hollywood was blighted by strikes and turning down a HUGE role
It was a comeback no one could’ve predicted – perhaps even more unexpected than the iconic ‘You ain’t my mother’ storyline she was an integral part of.
Yet this year saw Michelle Ryan maker her grand EastEnders return this year after two decades away from the spotlight.
When she first left Albert Square in 2005 the door was kept open for her return, with her character Zoe Slater moving to Ibiza rather than being the victim of one of the soap’s gruesome murder plots.
Yet Michelle made it clear she had no intention of coming back, declaring she had found the role ‘boring’ and stating: ‘I always saw EastEnders as an apprenticeship. I always wanted to go on and do different things.’
Meanwhile, a ‘close friend’ of hers was quoted telling Sunday People at the time: ‘Without sounding arrogant, Michelle believes she has the looks and talent to succeed at the highest level.
‘She has been in EastEnders for four years but sees her future very much in films and modelling. She realises the show has put her on the map but doesn’t want to be typecast.
‘Because of her soap commitments she’s had to turn down dozens of great modelling offers and feels her soap role is now holding her back.’
Why Michelle Ryan returned to her ‘boring’ EastEnders job after her bid to crack Hollywood was blighted by strikes and turning down a huge role (pictured on the show this year)
When she left Albert Square in 2005 (pictured) the door was kept open for her return, with her character Zoe Slater moving to Ibiza. Yet Michelle had no intention of coming back
Indeed, Michelle wasted no time jetting across the pond in a bid to crack Hollywood and it wasn’t long before she landed a role in the NBC reboot of Bionic Woman.
Michelle was cast as the leading lady, bartender Jaime Sommers, who is saved from a car accident by a cutting edge operation, with her body repaired by cybernetic replacements.
However, just as she seemed destined for global stardom, the show was a victim of the three-month Writers Guild of America strike – which saw production grind to a halt after just eight episodes had been filmed.
Ultimately, the remaining five episodes planned for the series were not filmed, and after low ratings on the ones that aired, NBC quietly shelved the show.
Michelle returned to the UK and landed the role of 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.
She then had a chance to return to Hollywood, being asked to audition for Boardwalk Empire, but remarkably she returned the opportunity down because she didn’t want to be roped into a lengthy contact with HBO.
The role was ultimately snapped up by Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald.
Michelle later confessed that she’d made a ‘big mistake’, with the series going on to earn multiple Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG awards.
Indeed, Michelle wasted no time jetting across the pond in a bid to crack Hollywood and it wasn’t long before she landed a role in the NBC reboot of Bionic Woman
She had a chance to return to Hollywood, being asked to audition for Boardwalk Empire, but she turned it down and the role was snapped up by Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald (Kelly and Steve Buscemi pictured in the show)
The same month she made her EastEnders return, Michelle was feeling regret about her missed opportunity, telling her followers that she’d just started watching Boardwalk Empire
The same month she made her EastEnders return, Michelle was feeling regret about her missed opportunity, telling her Instagram followers that she’d just started watching Boardwalk Empire.
She penned: ‘What a phenomenal series this is. Another by Terence Winter. I love Kelly McDonald, she is just so compelling in her role.
My agent at the time, back in 2010 wanted me to meet for a part on this for casting, I passed. A big mistake for sure.
‘I was wary of five year contracts back then. Anyway, things happen for a reason. And the actress who was given the role is so so so good. I love what she did with the part.
‘It also taught me that when you read a pilot it doesn’t show you the entire part of a character and that when it’s a new series it will evolve, lesson learned!
‘Everyone in the series is incredible. It’s such a luxurious piece. And I’m only on season one! Yay.’
The last few years saw Michelle star 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.
Her most recent 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.
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 (pictured)
In June it was announced that Michelle had returned to the soap that had made her a household name in the UK, with the soap star declaring it felt like she’d ‘come home’.
Asked why she’d returned, Michelle mused: ‘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 [Ben Wadey] 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 Ben pitched me the storylines, and when I read the scripts, I knew it was the right decision.’
It was certainly a change of heart from the interview she gave the Bristol Evening Post after she’d quit.
Asked why she left the soap, she said at the time: ‘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.’
During her time on EastEnders Michelle was involved in one of the biggest storylines, when it was revealed that Kat Slater ( Jessie Wallace ) was in fact Zoe’s mother and not her sister
In June it was announced that Michelle had returned to the soap that had made her a household name in the UK, with the soap star declaring it felt like she’d ‘come home’
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, yet five years later she opted to walk away from the soap.
Her character was referenced several times over the years and upon her return it was revealed that she and Kat had 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.’