Soap 'mum & daughter' Jessie and Michelle on friendship

Two decades after the end of their explosive onscreen relationship the reunion of Jessie Wallace and Michelle Ryan - aka mum and daughter Kat and Zoe Slater - was bound to pack an emotional punch.

- BY MARK JEFFERIES Showbiz Editor

The pair will grace our screens together again this month after a cloak and dagger meeting set the scene for Zoe's return to EastEnders.

And underlining the depth of their real-life bond, Jessie "burst out crying" the moment she laid eyes on Michelle.

"We met for a secret dinner date with [executive producer] Ben Wadey and the Slaters," she said.

"When I saw Michelle, I cried - we were all very emotional."

Jessie, 53, had insisted their new storyline would only work for her and the BBC1 soap's fans, if Michelle returned to the role she left in 2005.

She was convinced that viewers "would feel completely conned" if another actress took her place.

In an interview with Radio Times, Jessie recalled: "I said to Ben, 'It has to be Michelle. It won't feel right if Zoe is recast.