Sean Slater’s heartbreaking reaction to hearing his ex-wife's voice had fans in tears.
It took EastEnders viewers a while to get over the shock of Roxy and Ronnie Mitchell being killed off in a shock double drowning accident on New Year’s Day in 2017. But hearts broke all over again this week, when Roxy’s ex-husband Sean Slater made a dramatic return to the soap – and Roxy made a heart-melting cameo.
Tragically, Sean hadn’t known that his ex-wife, who he’d never stopped loving, was dead until he returned to the Square and Jack took him to Roxy’s grave to break the news.
A devastated Sean, played by Robert Kazinsky, was then shown playing a voicemail from Roxy. Viewers heard Roxy’s voice saying, "Babe? Where are you? Hurry up, I really want to see you," as Sean repeatedly played back the message.
Viewers took to Twitter to discuss the heart-wrenching scene.
"OMG Roxy’s voice from beyond the grave," one fan wrote on Twitter.
"Sean still loves Roxy so much, my heart," said another.
"Sean’s kept a voicemail from Roxy," another commented. "I’m emotional watching these scenes."
In the dramatic scenes that followed, viewers saw Sean’s sister Stacey save their mum Jean from a serious cut with the help of paramedics, before Jean saved her son from taking his own life after finding him holding a shotgun.
Despite a heart stopping moment when Sean appeared to squeeze the trigger, Jean managed to halt her son’s heartbreaking suicide bid with an emotional speech, reassuring him that, "Whatever you’re feeling right now, it will pass."
Social media users were quick to heap praise on the ‘powerful’ performances of the actors playing the Slater family.
"Loved the scene with Jean, Sean and Stacey tonight!’"one viewer tweeted. "Such a powerful episode! Incredible acting! Covering real life situations so precisely!"
"Unbelievably good actors and so truthful," another agreed. "So moving."
Earlier this year, EastEnders boss Kate Oates revealed that she had had to put some work in to convince Robert Kazinski to return to the soap as Sean. "Rob has had a great deal of input in his return story," she told Digital Spy. "He’s a very considered actor and he thinks a lot about that character."
EastEnders continues on BBC1.
