EastEnders bosses announced that the Slaters would be moving to Albert Square in 2000 following the sudden departure of the di Marco family.
The Slater clan made their first appearance in September 2000 and were the eighth family to be introduced in the soap’s history.
From baby swapping and paternity shocks, to steamy affairs and bipolar diagnosis, Walford hasn’t been the same since the rowdy bunch arrived.
From Little Mo whacking her abusive husband Trevor Morgan over the head with an iron to the iconic “You ain’t my muvva” bombshell, the family have gone down in EastEnders history and have provided fans with plenty of “duff duff” moments over the past two decades.
Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace), Big Mo Harris (Laila Morse) and Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) are still representing the family name on the square but what happened to the likes of Michelle Ryan, who played Zoe Slater and Carli Norris who played Belinda Peacock?
Daily Star Online has found out what happened to the actors and actress’ who played a huge part in EastEnders’ most chaotic family.
Charlie Slater – Derek Martin
Charlie Slater turned up in Walford back in 2000
The patriarch arrived in Walford in 2000 with mother-in-law Mo Harris and four daughters in tow.
The loveable cabbie kept a level head until anyone messed with his girls.
Charlie decided to leave Walford in 2011 but he returned briefly in 2013 and also in 2016.
Fans of the BBC One were left in tears when Charlie died from a heart attack in the arms of heartbroken daughter Kat.
Before taking on the role as Charlie, Derek was a stuntman and turned to acting after he broke his collar bone filming drama Elizabeth R.
The actor has recently admitted that he’s struggled to find a job since leaving the BBC soap (Image: Steve Reigate / Daily Express)
Derek, now 87, has recently slammed EastEnders for trying too hard to appeal to a younger audience.
The actor also admitted that he’s struggled to get a job since leaving the show.
He told The Mirror: “I can’t get any work, because they can’t forget Charlie – he’s been dead for four years.
“Also, I look too young for my age.”
He added: “I’m going to live until 100. I swim four days a week and do a bit of rowing and biking in the gym.
“I listen to rap music, I email, text, bank online – there’s no point harking back to the good old days.”
Zoe Slater – Michelle Ryan
Michelle was part of one of the soap’s most iconic (Image: BBC)
Michelle Ryan shot to fame at the age of 16 as Zoe Slater, the youngster of four sisters – or so we thought.
Upon the introduction of Charlie’s brother Harry Slater (Michael Elphick) in 2001, it transpired that the evil relative raped Kat and Zoe was conceived of rape.
The climatic reveal of Kat’s true relation to Zoe has become one of the most iconic moments in EastEnders history.
The Slaters were shook to the core when Zoe revealed her plans to move to Spain to live with “Uncle Harry”.
Actress Michelle Ryan as Vanessa in True Horror (Image: (Channel 4 images must not be altered or manipulated in any way) Channel 4 Picture Publicity, Horseferry Road, London, SW1P 2TX)
A showdown on Bride Street between the pair saw Zoe scream: “You can’t tell me what to do. you ain’t my muvva”, with mum Kat yelling back: “Yes I am”.
Zoe eventually moved away to Ibiza in 2005 after being set up by Chrissie Watts in Den Watt’s murder.
Since leaving EastEnders, Michelle has gone on to become a small screen star across the pond starring in American television series Bionic Woman.
She also stared in BBC fantasy Merlin and played Vanessa in TV mini-series documentary True Horror.
In 2015, Kat was left heartbroken as Zoe rejected her off screen when she went to visit her in Spain.
Lynne Hobbs – Elaine Lordon
Lynne was the first Slater family member to leave Albert Square back in 2004 (Image: BBC)
Lynne became the first original Slater character to leave Walford after executive producer Louise Kerridge decided not to renew her contract following reports of drunken behaviour on and off the set.
The feisty Slater sister left Albert Square after ending her marriage to Gary Hobbs in 2004.
Actress Elaine appeared on the fifth series of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here in 2005 bur within a day of arriving in camp she passed out twice.
She was the also the first person to be voted of 2007 series Soapstar Superstar after performing It’ a Heartache by Bonnie Tyler.
Elaine left I’m A Celeb after collapsing twice within the first day (Image: Tim Merry – 8 Admiral, London. S)
Elaine married Peter Manuel in 2005 and her baby son died a few days later aged one having had surgery for a diaphragmatic hernia.
The tragedy came just nine months after the suicide of her mum Bernie.
She became pregnant again in 2007 but suffered a miscarriage.
Elaine later lost her father in 2008 to a degenerative illness.
She wrote about this part of her life in the book Whatever It Takes: A Story of Family Survival, published in 2008.
Following the several tragedies in her private life, Elaine, now 53, withdrew from the public eye 12 years ago.
Little Mo Mitchell – Kacey Ainsworth
Little Mo quickly became one of soap’s most iconic characters (Image: BBC)
Named after her loud mouth grandmother, otherwise known as Big Mo, Little Mo couldn’t be any more opposite.
The quiet character spent most of her time in Walford going through a turbulent marriage with evil husband Trevor Morgan.
The villain’s reign of terror came to a end as she fought back at Trevor in iconic scenes where she thumped him over the head with an iron.
Trevor perished in a house fire in 2002 after Little Mo is released after being arrested for assaulting him.
Kacey now sports a blonde pixie cut (Image: BBC/LA Productions/Tony Blake)
Little Mo went on to find happiness with Billy Mitchell which was also short lived after she got raped by friend Graham Foster and later discovered she’s pregnant by him.
The loveable Slater sister departed from Walford to Barnstable in 2006 after being accused of harming her young son Freddie.
Since leaving EastEnders, Kacey, 51, has gone onto star in Call The Midwife, Casualty, Grantchester and is occasionally a guest panellist on Loose Women.
Kacey looks completely different now sporting a cropped peroxide blonde hair do, which is a far cry away from her days as shy Little Mo.
Stacey Slater – Lacey Turner
Stacey Slater first rocked up in Walford 16 years ago and she’s been a central character since (Image: BBC)
Stacey Slater made her Walford entrance in 2004 as a troublesome teenager and she’s gone through a lot over the past 16 years.
From abortion and affairs and murder and rape, Stacey was forced to flee the country and live life on the run in 2010 after it was revealed she killed Archie Mitchell.
During her break from the soap, Lacey played Molly in BBC drama Our Girl and Stella Wrangle in Call The Midwife.
Lacey put her Stacey shoes back on in 2014 and is currently on maternity leave from the soap after giving birth to baby Dusty in July 2019.
Lacey is currently on maternity leave from the soap and will return to work later this year (Image: FilmMagic)
Gobby Stacey was last seen on screen calling husband Martin “a b****d” after he told her he wanted to reunite with his ex Sonia Fowler.
Martin told Stacey he had feelings for Sonia as he didn’t want to return to Albert Square because Ben Mitchell was threatening to harm her and their family.
Lacey, 31, is expected to return to EastEnders permanently this year.
We can’t wait to see what drama Stacey has to say when she finds out Martin has turned into a Walford bad boy
Sean Slater – Rob Kazinsky
Rob Kazinsky played Stacey’s hunky brother Sean (Image: BBC)
Making his acting debut in CBBC children’s programme The Basil Brush Show in 2005, Rob made his EastEnders entrance a year later in 2006 as hunky Sean Slater.
Rob, who played Stacey Slater’s oldest brother, was suspended from work during his time on the BBC soap for two months after The People newspaper alleged that he had bombard a model with “obscene text messages and photographs.”
The actor later issued a statement apologising “for any offence cause and bringing the show into disrepute”.
After leaving EastEnders in 2009, Rob moved to LA where he won a role in several Hollywood blockbuster The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey alongside Martin Freeman but he had to quit the role due to personal reasons.
The actor has gone onto act alongside Resse Witherspoon since leaving the soap (Image: Getty Images)
The soap hunk did manage to appear in other movies including Hot Pursuit where he played a criminal called Randy alongside A-listers Resse Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara.
Sean made a shock return to Albert Square last year for a guest appearance where he paid a visit to see Stacey and mum Jean Slater.
Following his short stint back in Walford, Rob has now returned to LA according to his social media pages.
Kyle Slater – Riley Cater Millington
Riley Millington was the first transgender actor to portray a transgender character in a British soap opera (Image: PA)
Riley Millington was the first transgender actor to portray a transgender character in a British soap opera when he joined the soap as Stacey’s half-brother Kyle in 2015.
Things got off to a tricky start for Kyle as Stacey first accused him of being a stalker before learning he is in fact related to her.
Charlie tells Stacey that her dad only had daughters which lead to Kyle revealing that he is transgender, and was formally known as Sarah.
Loose Women star Denise Welch appeared in one episode as Kyle’s mother Alison Slater.
Alison couldn’t accept Kyle as a man at first, which left him heartbroken, but she later phoned him and calls him Kyle for the first time and he was given a confidence boost and accepted a job in France as a chef.
Riley slammed EastEnders bosses for not letting him stay on the show after his character revealing he’s transgender (Image: BBC/Jack Barnes)
Riley slammed the BBC soap following his departure stating that he was “disappointed” that he didn’t get to the show that Kyle had a normal life, only just the “big coming out story”.
The Independent On Sunday named Riley the most influential LBGTO person in the UK in 2015, making him the first trans man to top the list.
In 2018, marking 100 years of the end of World War One, the actor appeared as Evans in the state adaption of Birdsong, a novel written by Sebastian, travelling the length and breadth of the UK with Mesh Theate Company.
Riley has been engaged to Carlene Holton since 2018.
Hayley Slater – Katie Jarvis
Hayley Slater rocked up in Albert Square in 2018 with a big secret (Image: BBC / Kieron McCarron)
Actress Katie Jarvis joined EastEnders as Stacey Slater’s gobby cousin Hayley in 2018.
It quickly came to light that Hayley was pregnant with Kat’s husband Alfie Moon’s baby after having a sordid affair in Spain.
The Slater family took centre stage during the 2018 Christmas episode as baby Cherry’s paternity was exposed.
Hayley was last seen in Walford in February last year when she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital after multiple suicide attempts, but fled, leaving baby Cherry in the care of Kat and the rest of the Slater clan.
Katie went on the Victoria Derbyshire Show to talk about working as a security guard in B&M (Image: BBC)
In October last year, mum-of-two Katie, 28, admitted she had taken a “step back” from acting and began working as a security guard for bargain store B&M.
The TV star described herself a “lairy b****” as she joined Instagram posting a series of touching family snaps.
In her bio of her social media account, Katie penned “Mum first and foremost, biggest sister of four girls, dairy b****”alongside details for her agent.
Belinda Peacock – Carli Norris
Belinda Peacock only spoke to her sisters when she was arguing with her rich husband Neville (Image: BBC/Kieron McCarron)
Who can forget the fifth Slater sister Belinda?
The brunette bombshell was known for bragging to her sisters about her rich husband Neville Peacock.
She usually turned up in Albert Square like a bad penny when her marriage troubles escalated.
Belinda and Neville’s swinging fantasies are exposed by Mick and Linda Carter which ends in Belinda leaving her husband as she “no longer felt loved”.
After sleeping with most of the men in Walford and upsetting most of the women, Belinda decided to flee the square in 2016 after her and schoolfriend Maggie O’Shea decided to travel around Italy following her divorce from Neville.
Carli Norris was the second actress to play Belinda Peacock after actress Leanne Lakey (Image: Daily Mirror)
Actress Carli Norris, also played Alice McMahon in the BBC One soap, before taking on the role of Belinda, who was previously played by Leanne Lakey.
As well as starring in Hollyoaks and appearing in local pantomimes, Carli revealed in 2017 that she’d previously transformed part of her home into “Kitty’s Cottage”, an interiors shop which transformed into a cake-making operation when she discovered a gap in the market as a cupcake teacher.
As well as baking, Carli and partner Dominic Atkins run a vintage clothes and accessories business named Chocodolly in Sir Issac’s Walk in Essex.
EastEnders continues on BBC One on Monday at 8pm
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
