In a heartbreaking early release on BBC iPlayer, EastEnders has delivered a devastating blow to one of its most troubled characters, with two individuals officially declared dead.
A Twisted Path to the Truth
The dramatic storyline centres on Zoe Slater, played by Michelle Ryan, whose long-running ordeal involving missing twins and a sinister stalker has taken a brutal new turn. Viewers who accessed the episode early on Monday, December 16, 2025, discovered the shocking conclusion to her search.
For months, Zoe believed she had lost one twin at birth, while the other was missing. Her desperate attempts to find the surviving child led her to involve former adversary Sharon Watts, falsely claiming the father was Sharon's late ex-husband, Dennis Rickman. When that scheme collapsed, Zoe became consumed by paranoid threats from a mystery stalker, pushing the missing children's storyline into the background.
The Father's Chilling Discovery
The plot accelerated when ex-boyfriend Anthony Trueman, portrayed by Nicholas Bailey, made a staggering discovery. Using a work colleague to access old files, he learned he is the father of Zoe's twins. Crucially, he found out that both children—a boy and a girl—were recorded as stillborn, contradicting Zoe's belief that the female twin had survived.
Reeling from the news, Anthony confronted a furious Chelsea Fox in The Albert, revealing he had two children he never knew about. He insisted on finding the missing children himself before telling Zoe, whom he labelled a "troubled, paranoid liar."
A Cruel Revelation and a Fiery Crisis
As Zoe faced a terrifying situation—locked in a bedroom with a flaming teddy bear and a disabled fire alarm—Anthony delivered his cruel verdict to her cousin, Kat Slater. He coldly informed Kat that according to the official records, both twins were dead.
Kat crumbled, pleading with Anthony not to tell Zoe, especially with her first family Christmas in years approaching. Their tense exchange was interrupted by emergency sirens descending on Albert Square, as firefighters rushed to help Zoe, who had inhaled significant smoke.
The episode leaves a pivotal question hanging: with Kat wrestling with how to break the news, and Anthony determined to find the children he now believes are deceased, who will reach Zoe first? Furthermore, the mysterious presence of Jasmine Fisher, who is living under the same roof as Zoe, adds another layer of intrigue that could render both their plans obsolete.
