Eastenders: Zoe's missing son arrives in Walford
She gave birth to twins back in 2006
Last updated 7 hours ago
Zoe Slater has been the centre of some pretty big storylines on The Square since her return to Eastenders in June 2025 — and this month’s scenes are no exception. After it was revealed late last year that Jasmine was one of Zoe’s mystery twins born shortly after her departure 19 years ago, we’re now about to meet the other!
The iconic character, played by Michelle Ryan, revealed back in September that she gave birth to twins — a boy and a girl — also revealing Anthony Trueman was the father. Now, following Anthony's shock death in The Vic on Christmas Day, and both Zoe’s and Jasmine’s arrests for his murder, the missing son is about to make his entrance on the soap.
It had been 20 years since Zoe was last seen on The Square, before the Slater sister famed for screaming "You ain't my mother" at Kat, made an iconic comeback in June.
Who is Zoe's son on Eastenders?
It's now been revealed that Zoe's son will be a new character to The Square, called Josh. Played by Joshua Vaughan, the character will arrive on The Square later this month, along with his adoptive mother, Sandra (played by Dawn Steele).
In a post shared on social media on 4th March 2026, Eastenders bosses wrote: 'Zoe Slater is in for a shock this month when her long lost son and Jasmine’s twin brother, Josh (Joshua Vaughan) arrives in Walford having followed his adopted mother Sandra Goodwin (Dawn Steele) to Albert Square.
'Sandra turns up seeking answers about Jasmine, unveiling new details from her past and insight into Sandra's version of events. Meanwhile, and unbeknownst to Sandra, Josh has followed her to Walford looking for her, not knowing his birth family are closer than he realises. With Jasmine’s future hanging in the balance and emotions at an all-time high, their arrival is set to cause repercussions for everyone involved.
'On joining the cast, @joshuavaughan_ said: “It has been incredibly humbling to join the cast of EastEnders and find myself at the intersection of the iconic Trueman and Slater families. Getting to work alongside such legacy actors is a masterclass, and I’ve learned so much from them. Josh is a big ball of love and I’m so excited for the audience to see the drama unfold as he arrives onto the Square”.'
Who is the father of Zoe's babies?
Ahead of 2025's Christmas special, it was confirmed Anthony Trueman had fathered Zoe's twins. It followed LOTS of speculation about who it could be.
Who is Zoe's daughter on Eastenders?
In a shock episode on 15th December 2025, it was revealed Zoe's daughter is Jasmine Fisher, a new character who had been acting pretty shifty in the months leading up to the reveal. She is also the girlfriend of Oscar Branning, who returned to The Square along with his dad, Max in the autumn.
What did Michelle Ryan say about her return to Eastenders?
Michelle Ryan, who plays Zoe, previously said "worlds aligned" to enable her return, and she's excited to be back.
Michelle said: “It feels like coming home. After doing my first few scenes, it was like I’d never been away.
“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.
“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 Ben pitched me the storylines, and when I read the scripts, I knew it was the right decision.”
In 2001, we discovered the youngest Slater sister, Zoe, was in fact the daughter of Walford’s iconic Kat Slater (played by Jessie Wallace) — and the pair have since become estranged, following more than two decades of resentment.
Now she's back, meeting her siblings for the first time, and coming face-to-face with the newly-remarried Kat Moon.
When did Zoe leave EastEnders?
Zoe left The Square in 2005, after her relationship with Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman) saw her caught up in the murder of Den Watts, alongside Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman) and Sam Mitchell.
When did Zoe Slater return to EastEnders?
She returned on Monday 16th June 2025 — when it was revealed she'd been staying with second cousin, Stacey Slater. You can catch up on the episode on BBC iPlayer now.
WATCH: Zoe returns to EastEnders:
Now read:
Hilarious trailer released for series two of Last One Laughing
End of an era as Call the Midwife Christmas special won't return for 2026
The Dyers' Caravan Park has been renewed for a second series