The unforgettable EastEnders scene, watched by 19 million viewers in 2001, unravelled a harrowing truth in the Slaters family
EastEnders star Jessie Wallace wants to reunite with her on-screen daughter Michelle Ryan, who played Zoe Slater.
Long-term fans of the soap will remember Jessie’s character Kat Slater blurting out that she was Zoe’s mother as the pair argued in the street.
After Zoe yelled: “You can’t tell me what to do, you ain’t my mother,” Kat screamed: “Yes, I am!”.
Up until that point, Zoe had always believed they were sisters before the harrowing truth about Kat’s past was revealed.
Almost 24 years on from the iconic moment, watched by 19 million viewers, Jessie has called for the pair to reunite on Albert Square.
Speaking on Lacey Turner’s new podcast We Started Here, the presenter said: “You’ve had some really iconic storylines. The Kat and Zoe one… I’d love it if she came back. Would you?”
Agreeing, Jessie, 53, replied: “I think it’d be great, I think it would be lovely. Can we make that happen? Wouldn’t it be great?”.
Kat fell pregnant with Zoe aged just 14, after she was sexually abused by her uncle Harry.
Reflecting on the difficult storyline, she shared: “It was hard. It was really hard.
“And this is back in the day when we used to get sacks full of fan mail, and the majority were teenage girls who were going through or had been through the same thing.
“They were relating to Kat and coming to me for help. But I’m an actor and it had to be passed on to the NSPCC, which was really tough. So the impact it made… I was so honoured that they gave me that storyline to carry.”
Michelle left EastEnders after five years back in 2005 and has since starred in a number of films and series.
Jessie has been in and out of the soap for over 20 years, while exploring different paths in between.
Last month, fans called for Michelle to return to the show following her reunion with the soap’s original Sam Mitchell actress Kim Medcalf.
After the pair shared a selfie on Instagram together, many expressed their hopes of a comeback in the comments section.
One wrote: “You both need to come back to the show that would be incredible!!!”
A second commented: “Please come back to Eastenders we need you both & Tracy Ann (Oberman).”
“First little Mo (played by Kacey Ainsworth), now Sam I need you all back,” a third typed.
