The New Times – Latest News Page

Zoe Slater Dies After Her Son’s Brutal Attack | EastEnders

Albert Square is bracing itself for one of its darkest and most emotionally charged chapters yet, as EastEnders gears up to unleash a storyline packed with forbidden attraction, buried crimes, shattered families, and a tragedy that will leave Walford forever changed. At the heart of it all lies a devastating twist no one sees coming — the brutal attack that ultimately leads to the death of Zoe Slater, and the shocking truth about the son she never truly knew.

Whispers from behind the scenes suggest Walford is on the verge of igniting a dangerously intense love triangle, but this one comes with a sinister edge. A mysterious newcomer is set to arrive on the Square, and his connection to Jasmine Fischer is about to send shockwaves through multiple families. Oscar Branning, already emotionally entangled with Jasmine, finds himself irresistibly drawn into the chaos, unaware that his curiosity could place him at the center of a ticking emotional time bomb.

Sources tease that actor Joshua Vaughn has been cast as Jasmine’s long-lost twin brother — a man raised in secrecy, shaped by resentment, and carrying a truth that will rip the Slaters apart. In a jaw-dropping revelation, he is also exposed as Zoe Slater’s son, a child taken from her under tragic circumstances and raised far from Albert Square. His arrival isn’t subtle. It’s explosive. And his presence threatens to unravel years of lies, guilt, and unfinished business.

With Jasmine and Oscar’s already fragile relationship hanging by a thread, insiders describe this storyline as one of the steamiest and most volatile triangles the soap has delivered in years. Charged looks turn into confrontations. Loyalty clashes with desire. And emotional boundaries blur in ways that leave lasting scars. Jasmine finds herself torn between the brother she never truly knew and the man she thought she loved, while Oscar struggles to make sense of feelings he can no longer control.

But the romance is only the surface layer. Beneath it lurks a far darker history that refuses to stay buried.

Viewers will remember the horrifying Christmas Day that changed everything — the night Anthony Truman violently assaulted Zoe Slater. In a moment of desperation and protection, Jasmine killed her own father to save Zoe, a secret that has haunted her ever since. Although Zoe took the fall and is currently serving time for the crime, the truth has remained a shadow hanging over the entire family.

Zoe’s greatest pain, however, was never prison. It was separation. She never stopped yearning to reunite with her children — the twins she was forced to give up. When she returned to Walford last year, she was cruelly led to believe that one of her babies had died. It was Anthony himself who later revealed the devastating truth: both twins were alive. That revelation sent Zoe spiraling into desperation, prompting her to hire a private investigator to track them down.

What followed was a tangled web of lies, manipulation, and emotional fallout that left no one untouched.

Jasmine, unable to cope with the mounting pressure, eventually fled the Square after it was exposed that she had lied about giving a police statement in her father’s case. Oscar was left heartbroken, especially after discovering that Max Branning had quietly been pulling strings behind the scenes to drive them apart. Meanwhile, Kat Slater feared the worst, convinced Jasmine had been abducted or killed. Yolande Truman, however, remained certain her granddaughter would resurface — though she ominously warned that Jasmine’s return would bring chaos in its wake.

Now, with Jasmine’s twin brother stepping into Walford, that warning feels chillingly prophetic.

His reappearance not only reopens Zoe’s deepest wounds but also sets the stage for an unthinkable tragedy. Consumed by anger, resentment, and unresolved trauma, Zoe’s son struggles to reconcile the truth of his origins. The emotional strain escalates into violence, culminating in a brutal confrontation that leaves Zoe fatally injured. The Square is left reeling as the unthinkable happens — Zoe Slater dies as a direct result of her own son’s actions, a devastating end that no one could have imagined.

As Walford mourns, guilt, blame, and heartbreak ripple through the community. Jasmine is shattered, forced to confront the devastating consequences of secrets she tried to bury. Oscar, caught in the emotional crossfire, must decide whether love can survive such darkness.

Elsewhere on the Square, danger is brewing on an entirely different front.

Mark Fowler’s return to Walford has already raised alarm bells, but upcoming episodes see him make a reckless mistake that could cost lives. Determined to uncover the identity of a police informant within a dangerous drug ring, Mark confides in Ravi Gulati — completely unaware that Ravi is the very man working undercover for the police.

When Mark first reappeared, bruised and visibly shaken, it was soon revealed that he’d been brutally attacked by his own criminal associates, who suspected him of talking to the authorities. With threats intensifying and his half-sister Vicki’s life hanging in the balance, Mark turns to Phil Mitchell for guidance, vowing to expose the real snitch before it’s too late.

What viewers know — but Mark doesn’t — is that Ravi is secretly feeding information to the police under Jack Branning’s supervision. The situation becomes dangerously ironic when Ravi informs Jack he’s due to meet a new gang contact, only to realize with horror that the contact is Mark himself.

Their meeting is loaded with tension neither can fully articulate. A casual conversation about cars masks a deadly game of cat and mouse, with Ravi sweating under Mark’s probing questions. Just as the pressure reaches breaking point, chaos erupts when Nugget is rushed to hospital, pulling Ravi away from the edge.

Later, at Harry’s barn, tensions explode when Chelsea becomes the target of a group of aggressive men. Despite the enormous risk to his undercover operation, Ravi steps in without hesitation, defending both Chelsea and Mark as violence erupts around them. Punches fly, tempers flare, and the night descends into chaos. Mark witnesses Ravi’s courage firsthand, a moment that completely shifts his perception.

Believing he’s found an ally, Mark confides his plan to expose the informant — unknowingly handing critical information straight to the man he’s hunting.

Ravi now finds himself walking a razor-thin line. One wrong move could expose his secret, put his life in danger, and derail the entire investigation. With suspicion tightening across Walford, the stakes have never been higher.

v

As if that weren’t enough, the Square is also buzzing with off-screen news that has fans talking. Former EastEnders star Zack Morris, best known for his five-year stint as Keegan Baker, has reunited with ex-castmate Steve Basola for a powerful new creative initiative. Together, they’ve launched the Process Drama Club, a project aimed at opening doors for young creatives and providing real-world insight into breaking into the entertainment industry.

Morris, who has since found success in The Pit, Disney’s Goosebumps, and Prime Video’s upcoming thriller The Bluff, revealed that the initiative is rooted in fairness, collaboration, and modern mentorship — a response to the harsh realities many aspiring actors face.

Back on screen, however, Walford remains a pressure cooker of unresolved trauma and explosive secrets.

In the weeks ahead, the arrival of another mysterious figure tied to both Jasmine Fischer and Zoe Slater promises to reopen old wounds and dramatically shift the balance of power. Relationships will fracture. Alliances will crumble. And emotions will run dangerously high as past and present collide in spectacular fashion.

With Zoe’s tragic death casting a long shadow over the Square, EastEnders is gearing up for a relentless run of passion, betrayal, and devastating consequences. As family bonds are tested and secrets finally explode into the open, viewers can expect emotional confrontations and shocking twists that will leave Walford — and audiences — reeling.

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.