By Helen Daly

Published: Thursday, 21 July 2022 at 12:00 am


It’s an exciting time on EastEnders at the moment as several well-known characters are making their way back to the Square.

The latest is Freddie Slater, played this time by Bobby Brazier, who’s returning to the BBC soap following a departure in 2004, with mum, Little Mo (played by Kacey Ainsworth).

This came just weeks after Big Mo (Laila Morse) was also confirmed to return for a limited stint.

With the reason behind Freddie’s arrival on Albert Square under wraps, all eyes have turned to who else could come back – specifically, his mum.

Is Little Mo returning to EastEnders?

The short answer is, that we don’t know just yet. The longer answer is, that there’s every possibility she could, but it doesn’t seem like there are any plans at the moment.

Last month, Ainsworth told the Daily Star there were no plans to return in the immediate future, citing her very busy schedule.

“I’ve done so much since I’ve left. I’m a regular in an ITV series [Grantchester] and we’re on to our seventh series of that […] I do so much stuff, I’m not sure there’s room at the moment,” she explained.

However, with Freddie back on the scene, now would be a better time than ever for Little Mo to make her way back – after all, we’ve got a lot to catch up on.

RadioTimes.com understands there are no current plans for Little Mo to return.

Why did Little Mo leave EastEnders?

Little Mo didn’t have the easiest life on EastEnders, and the character is probably best known for being part of a powerful domestic abuse storyline at the hands of her husband Trevor Morgan (Alex Ferns).

The character joined without Trevor in 2000 but was later joined by him and it was soon revealed he was abusive towards her.

Over the course of the plot, Trevor wore Little Mo down so much, that she was a shell of her former self and she was unable to leave him.

On New Year’s Eve in 2001, Little Mo finally stood up for herself and hit Trevor repeatedly with an iron, seemingly leaving him for dead. When it was revealed he wasn’t, Little Mo was charged with attempted murder but made a deal with Trevor to not press charges.

Trevor was killed in a fire in the Slater house.

Little Mo then moved on with Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick), but their relationship broke down when she was raped by Graham Foster (Alex McSweeney).

She found out she was pregnant as a result, giving birth to Freddie, but it was too much for Billy, who struggled to get past seeing the rapist whenever he looked at Freddie.

After a failed romance with Alfie Moon (Shane Richie), Little Mo’s storylines centred around bringing up Freddie – which had its challenges. She made an enemy of Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) after she confronted Ben Mitchell for causing harm to Freddie.

In the meantime, she made a romantic connection with her son’s doctor, Dr Oliver Cousins (Tom Ellis), but that also ended in tears when Mo quite literally pushed him too hard and they called time.

Heartbroken, Little Mo decided enough was enough and planned a new life in Barnstaple with Freddie, but when she reached the station, Oliver asked her to go to Leeds with him. She insisted it was time for her to flourish herself and left the soap in 2006.

BBC iPlayer is currently streaming weekly boxsets for EastEnders throughout the summer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch check out our TV Guide.

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