Michelle Ryan is an English actress who played Zoe Slater in the soap opera EastEnders from 2000 to 2005. The most shocking discovery that Zoe made in the show was that the person she thought was her sister, Kat Moon, was her mother. Kat got pregnant after Uncle Harry raped her, the same Uncle Harry who’d convinced Zoe to move to Spain with him.
After leaving EastEnders, Ryan starred in the short-lived American television series Bionic Woman. She then played evil sorceress Nimueh in the fantasy series Merlin and appeared in a 2009 episode of Doctor Who.
Michelle Ryan has ruled out a return to her breakout project EastEnders
EastEnders put Michelle Ryan on the map, but Michelle isn’t keen on returning to the show.
She told Daily Record that she saw the show as an apprenticeship – a stepping stone to bigger projects. “I always wanted to go on and do different things,” she said. Michelle added:
“I have some really good friends from that show but the door is closed. I’ve always taken chances. I think that’s how you progress – by stepping out and doing different things. I really do like my freedom and jumping from job to job.”
Ryan appears to have settled on a career as a voice actor. She voiced Lady Christina De Souza in Lady Christina and Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Chronicles. Michelle is set to reprise her role in 2022’s The Eighth of March.
Ryan ruined her chances of being a Bond girl by messing up her audition
“I just want to work with people I admire and respect, wherever that be – big budget, low budget, leading role, supporting role,” Michelle told Daily Record.
Michelle Ryan once had her sights set on being a Bond girl. She showed up for the audition, but she told Metro that she was a bit too nervous, and ended up bungling the audition.
“I did [audition]. Daniel Craig wasn’t there, though. I was quite nervous and completely blew it,” Michelle told the Metro. “It’s always when you’re not bothered – the same as when it comes to guys – that you do best. If you try too hard it doesn’t work.”
Ryan’s on-screen appearances have dried up over the years. When she does land an on-screen appearance, it usually a minor role in a film or series. Her last role came in 2018, when she played Vanessa Mitchell in an episode of True Horror. She is set to play the voice of Lady Christina De Souza in 2021’s Lady Christina Volume Two.