EastEnders icon Sharon Watts is currently absent from Walford following a devastating blow about her late husband Dennis Watts
Angie Quinn Screen Time Reporter
14:32, 04 Nov 2025
Sharon has left Zoe reeling with her latest move (Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
EastEnders has aired another update on Sharon Watts, and it’s not good news for Zoe Slater.
As fans of the BBC soap will know, returning character Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) confirmed that she had given birth to twins in 2006, incorrectly announcing their father as Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman).
The news sent shockwaves through Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) who had been married to her adoptive brother Dennis, and they had one son together, Denny Rickman JR (Bleu Landau) who died by drowning in February 2020.
Zoe shared the tragic news that one of her twins had died shortly after birth but she has a living son who she abandoned at the hospital. In hopes of raising enough cash to find her long lost son, Zoe told Sharon that Dennis was her sons dad and the biological half-brother of Dennis JR.
EastEnders has offered an update about Sharon Watts (Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)READ MORE: EastEnders favourite caught up in violent assault as one person stabbedREAD MORE: EastEnders fans ‘solve’ Zoe Slater stalker mystery in tragic health twist
Sharon agreed to fund the search and hired a private investigator to find Dennis’s only living son. But in a sick twist, Zoe told her mum, Kat (Jessie Wallace), she was lying about her child’s paternity, and the truth was quickly revealed to Sharon’s adoptive sister, Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig).
Last week, Vicki confirmed the devastating news to Sharon in a tense telephone call. Sharon had been in Birmingham to retrieve a DNA test from Denny’s daughter, Alyssa, for the private investigator.
After the conversation, Vicki confirmed to Sharon’s half-brother, Zack Hudson (James Farrar), that Sharon and her son, Albie, would be staying with Michelle Fowler in Florida as they leave Walford once again.
Nigel Harman as Dennis Rickman as Letitia Dean as Sharon Watts in EastEnders(Image: BBC)
She added, “She won’t come back. I seriously think this has tipped her over the edge. She was so strong for me and all. She is in bits, Zack. It is like Denny has died all over again.”
Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) was quick to defend Sharon and offered to reimburse her for the money she had lost through funding the private investigator.
On Monday (November 3), Zoe was still recovering from a harrowing Halloween experience where she found herself trapped in The Queen Vic’s barrel store, fearing she was being tormented by a mysterious person.
Zoe Slater thinks she is being harassed by a mystery person (Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
Adding to Zoe’s woes, her beloved cat has now disappeared, leaving her frantically searching for her pet, believing this to be another scheme to torment her.
However, her day got a lot worse when the private investigator revealed there was progress in locating her son, but refused to share any details due to Sharon’s name being on the case file and confirmed she had withdrawn from the case.
Zoe pleaded with the PI to reveal what she had discovered about her son, but was told she would need to pay an additional £3,000 for the information.
EastEnders’ Zoe and Sharon are now at loggerheads following the truth about Zoe’s estranged son (Image: BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
As Zoe searched for her cat, called Mini Mo, she informed Anthony Trueman (Nicholas Bailey) of the issues she was facing with the PI, as Sharon now refused to help in the search.
Before deciding to go back to the police regarding her stalker, Anthony recommended against that particular course of action, noting that Zoe had no evidence that somebody was coming after her.
Will Sharon return to Walford amid Zoe’s drama? EastEnders fans will have to wait to find out.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer
