EastEnders confirms five major absences for Zoe Slater's funeral this week

EastEnders has confirmed which five characters won't attend Zoe Slater's funeral this week. Zoe returned to the BBC soap late in 2025 after a 20-year absence, keeping her arrival on the cobbles secret from mum, Kat Slater, and enlisting Kat's husband, Alfie Moon, in her deception.

She eventually reconciled with her estranged mum, but not with her twins, Jasmine Fisher and Josh Goodwin, with whom she had fractured relationships right until the end.

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Zoe tragically passed away from an untreated head injury and brain haemorrhage after falling and hitting her head while trying to retrieve Charlie Slater's vintage taxi cab.

Her death has devastated her loved ones, particularly Kat, who has struggled to process her grief.

With her emotional funeral scenes set to air this week, tonight's episode of EastEnders, which is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer, planning for her send-off runs into a hitch.

In the episode, Jean Slater and Mo Harris are stressing about preparations for the funeral, with several things going wrong, including the order of service saying 'Mo Harris' instead of 'Zoe Slater.'

Later, Jean explains that several of their loved ones won't be able to make the send-off, confirming some big Slater returns that fans expected for the episodes won't be happening.

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She says: "Sean and Stacey can't come. Little Mo and Bel [Belinda] can't come. Lynne's looking after the twins [Kat and Alfie's twins Bert and Ernie]."

Little Mo Mitchell, Zoe's aunt, was last seen on-screen in person in 2006, while Belinda Peacock, also Zoe's aunt, last appeared on-screen 10 years later in 2016.

Sean Slater, a cousin of Zoe's related through the extended Slater family tree, is set to return to the BBC soap later this year, with it being announced previously that Rob Kazinsky would reprise his role.

Lynne Hobbs, another cousin of Zo's, last appeared in EastEnders in 2004, but has been seen in flashbacks several times since.

Stacey Slater has been a regular in the soap since 2004, but last year left Walford for Brazil with her children to join her brother Sean.

EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.

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