EastEnders has issued an update on Stacey – and it’s not good news
EastEnders has provided an update on Stacey Slater after her sudden departure from Walford.
The previous year was a challenging one for Stacey (Lacey Turner), as she grappled with the unexpected death of her ex-husband Martin Fowler (James Bye), who died in February 2025.
Despite purchasing the Queen Vic alongside her cousin Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace), Stacey remained despondent, with everything in Walford serving as a reminder of Martin and the bright future they were robbed of.
Stacey, who first appeared in the Square in 2004, found it difficult to look after her children and granddaughter and yearned for a fresh start away from her past.
This prompted the bap van owner to contemplate relocating to Brazil to work for her brother, Sean (Robert Kazinsky), at his newly acquired restaurant, reports OK!.
However, the tables turned when Stacey noticed her ex-lover and former father-in-law, Max Branning (Jake Wood), had returned to Walford for his daughter’s wedding.
Stacey’s anger intensified when she witnessed Max kissing her cousin Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) shortly after they’d shared a poignant moment reflecting on their history.
After a confrontation with Max and Zoe at The Queen Vic, Stacey invited Max into her home to make it clear she wanted him out of her life.
As a result, Stacey exited the Square in a taxi with her youngest children, Hope and Arthur, in October, leaving no indication of when she might return.
Tragically, Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) just missed Stacey as she departed for the airport and threw Zoe out of the house for causing her daughter to leave.
On Wednesday (March 25), Jean outlined the Slater family tree to newcomer Josh Goodwin (Joshua Vaughan), who is Zoe’s biological son.
Here, Jean provided an update on her daughter, Stacey, and confirmed she was still residing overseas. She said: “And then that’s Big Mo, not to be confused with Little Mo, and that’s Brian, and there’s me.
“I’m the mother of Sean and Stacey, who would be Zoe’s cousin”, Jean added before confirming, “Sean and Stacey are in Sao Paulo at the moment.”
EastEnders viewers have been left hoping Stacey will return to Walford after Zoe was revealed to be the mum of twins Josh and Jasmine (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness), the latter is currently behind bars for murdering her father, Anthony Trueman (Nicholas Bailey).
Max has also made a permanent comeback to Walford, where he has already had two affairs with Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), purchased the car lot, and is set to tie the knot at the end of the year.
Taking to X, one person wrote: “Max and Stacey – what a powerful pairing – brilliant acting”, while a second exclaimed: “I do miss Stacey in #EastEnders.”
“Nice to know that Lily is still keeping in contact with Stacey too – I can’t wait for her to return to Walford”, confessed another.
