Is soap throwing us a red herring?

By confirming Cleo as Joel’s mother, EastEnders seems to be disproving the long-held fan theory that Zoe Slater is Joel’s mother. Fans have been speculating that...
Joel Harley
By Joel Harley

By confirming Cleo as Joel’s mother, EastEnders seems to be disproving the long-held fan theory that Zoe Slater is Joel’s mother.

Fans have been speculating that Zoe is Joel’s estranged mother ever since his arrival in Walford earlier this year. With the news that Zoe was set to return to Albert Square after 20 years away, many wondered whether she might come back harbouring a secret.

Zoe soon confirmed that she is indeed hiding something – but is that something a secret son?

Is EastEnders’ Cleo reveal a red herring?

It’s entirely possible that the soap could be hiding its Zoe return behind the ‘Cleo’ name-drop. Might Zoe have adopted the name Cleo after leaving Walford? Perhaps in whatever double-life she’s been leading in her absence?

This wouldn’t be the first time a character has adopted another name after leaving Walford. Cindy Beale, one might recall, went by the name ‘Rose’ while she was living in Spain with then-husband George.

Could Cleo be a similar red herring intended to throw viewers off the scent?

EastEnders fans convinced Zoe is Joel’s mother -here’s why

This isn’t the first time Joel has dropped hints that Zoe could be his mother. During a previous heart-to-heart with Tommy, Joel described his absentee mother as a ‘slapper’ – language which echoes Zoe and Kat’s own past and the way they’ve spoken about each other in the past.

The ‘clues’ continued as Joel argued with Vicki in a later scene. ‘You ain’t my mum,’ he told her during an argument – before the soap cut to it’s next scene, with Zoe Slater. Coincidence? We think not.

With Zoe hiding a terrible secret from her family, might Joel be the reason she’s so reticent to return home to Walford?