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 writers kept the door open for her return by sending her character Zoe Slater to Ibiza instead of making her 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 told Sunday People at the time: ‘Without sounding arrogant, Michelle believes she has the looks and talent to succeed at the highest level.’
She spent four years on EastEnders but envisions her future primarily in films and modelling. While the show put her on the map, she doesn’t want to be typecast.
Because of her soap commitments, she has turned down dozens of appealing modelling offers, and she feels that her role on the show is now limiting her opportunities.
Michelle Ryan returned to her ‘boring’ EastEnders job after strikes disrupted her bid to crack Hollywood and after she turned 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
Michelle Ryan RETURNS to EastEnders as Zoe Slater after 20 years
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.
The producers cast Michelle as the leading lady, bartender Jaime Sommers, and a cutting-edge operation saved her from a car accident, repairing her body with cybernetic replacements.
However, just as she seemed destined for global stardom, the three-month Writers Guild of America strike halted the show’s production after the team had filmed just eight episodes.
Ultimately, the team never filmed the remaining five planned episodes, and after the aired ones received low ratings, 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.
Producers invited her to audition for Boardwalk Empire, giving her a chance to return to Hollywood, but she remarkably turned it down because she didn’t want a lengthy contract 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 when producers asked her to audition for Boardwalk Empire, but she turned it down, and Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald snapped up the role (pictured with Steve Buscemi 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.
She most recently appeared in Frankenstein: Legacy as Lady Charlotte, and in 2025’s Finding My Voice she took on the role of Lisa Kendall, a film still awaiting release.
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)
Iconic moment Zoe Slater tells Kat ‘You ain’t my muvva!’
In June, the producers announced Michelle’s return to the soap that had made her a household name in the UK, and the soap star declared 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.
When asked why she left the soap, she explained that doing the same thing day in, day out felt boring, and she enjoyed jumping between different projects.
She considered EastEnders an apprenticeship and always aimed to explore new opportunities. Although she maintains close friendships from the show, she admitted the door was now closed.
Taking chances has always been her approach, as she believes progress comes from stepping out and trying different things.
She emphasized her love for freedom and variety, stating that she wants to work with people she admires and respects, whether on big-budget or low-budget projects, in leading or supporting roles.
During her time on EastEnders, Michelle took part in one of the biggest storylines, when the writers revealed that Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) was in fact Zoe’s mother and not her sister.
In June, the producers announced Michelle’s return to the soap that had made her a household name in the UK, and the soap star declared it felt like she’d ‘come home’.
During her time on the show, Michelle played a central role in one of EastEnders’ biggest storylines, when the writers revealed that Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) was Zoe’s mother and not her sister, with explosive scenes showing her yell: ‘You ain’t my mother!’, only for Kat to reply: ‘Yes I am!’
The storyline remains one of the most famous and iconic moments in EastEnders’ 40-year history – a scene that soap fans worldwide have mimicked.
The unforgettable storyline catapulted Michelle, then 16, to superstardom, yet five years later she opted to walk away from the soap.
The writers referenced her character several times over the years, and upon her return they 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.’