EastEnders fans stunned as THIS former character gets a special mention

Fans were thrilled by Kat Slater's mention of long lost daughter, Zoe...

EastEnders fans noticed former Walford favourite Zoe Slater get an unexpected mention in last night's trip to Walford, and they couldn't be more thrilled about the nod towards the iconic character.

Last night's EastEnders saw Bex make the shocking decision to leave Walford and go travelling.

But instead of her parents being the first to know about her leaving Walford, it was Kat Slater that Bex confided in.

Kat and Bex EastEnders BBC — Bex told Kat about her decision to go travelling last night... (Picture: BBC)

When Kat caught Bex looking at holiday magazines in the Minute Mart, she assumed she was going on a far-flung holiday somewhere nice, but instead Bex admitted she is planning to leave Albert Square and travel around the world.

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But instead of trying to talk her out of it, Kat encouraged Bex to spread her wings and leave the confinements of Walford, pointing out that her own daughter Zoe also left Walford to go travelling.

However, as Kat pointed out that Zoe left Albert Square 15 years ago, fans were stunned that it has been that long since we saw the popular character on our screens...

With Kat's reassurances ringing in her ears, Bex prepared herself to tell Martin and Sonia about her plans to leave.

Unsurprisingly the news didn't go down too well, and while Martin was more open to the idea of Bex going travelling, Sonia refused to even entertain the idea.

Bex's turbulent year has seen her not only try and take her own life after the pressures of exam stress got too much, but also dabble in drugs, which left her fighting for her life again when she took a pill from a dodgy batch.

But despite her desire to protect her daughter while she is still fragile, it looks like Sonia is going to have to get her head around the fact Bex is leaving, because by the end of the week, she will be bidding a fond farewell to the Square.

And what about Kat's mention of Zoe?

Could mentioning the character be the soap's way of trying to hint at a future storyline? Or was it just a bit of nostalgia for fans?

EastEnders airs Monday and Friday at 8pm and Tuesday and Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.

Claire is Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch and has been a journalist for over 15 years, writing about everything from soaps and TV to beauty, entertainment, and even the Royal Family. After starting her career at a soap magazine, she ended up staying for 13 years, and over that time she’s pulled pints in the Rovers Return, sung karaoke in the Emmerdale village hall, taken a stroll around Albert Square, and visited Summer Bay Surf Club in sunny Australia.

After learning some tricks of the trade at websites Digital Spy, Entertainment Daily, and Woman & Home, Claire landed a role at What’s On TV and whattowatch.com writing about all things TV and film, with a particular love for Aussie soaps, Strictly Come Dancing and Bake Off.

She’s interviewed everyone from June Brown — AKA Dot Cotton — to Michelle Keegan, swapped cooking tips with baking legend Mary Berry backstage at the NTAs, and danced the night away with soap stars at countless awards bashes. There’s not a lot she doesn’t know about soaps and TV and can be very handy when a soapy question comes up in a pub quiz!

As well as all things soap-related, Claire also loves running, spa breaks, days out with her kids, and getting lost in a good book.