Few EastEnders storylines have been as explosive as the tangled lives of Zoe Slater, Dennis Rickman and Sharon Watts.
From secret affairs and shocking revelations to heartbreak and tragedy, their complicated relationships shaped some of the soap’s most unforgettable moments.
Here’s a complete timeline of how their dramatic history unfolded.
2004 – Dennis and Sharon begin a romance in EastEnders
Back in 2003, Dennis Rickman burst onto the soap as Sharon’s long-lost adopted brother, fresh from prison. Though not related by blood, the pair share a dad, Den Watts.
And in typical soap fashion, Dennis and Sharon ended up falling for each other and embarking on a scandalous love affair.
Dad Den was not all impressed to find his two children together. Determined to split them up, he even managed to provoke Dennis into hitting poor Sharon.
However, in a bid to build a relationship with his dad Den, Dennis called it quits with Sharon and quickly moved on to Zoe Slater…
2004 – Dennis falls for Zoe in EastEnders – but still loves Sharon
Dennis ended up moving in with Zoe. But it was clear to all except Zoe that he was burying his feelings for Sharon.
It wasn’t long before he changed his mind again and decided to be with Sharon. The pair started an affair.
Unable to cope with the guilt, Dennis planned to tell everyone about him and Sharon. They decided to escape the fallout by moving to America.
In a desperate attempt to keep Dennis around though, Zoe lied and said she was pregnant on Christmas Day. Determined not to be an absent dad, Dennis called things off with Sharon, leaving her heartbroken and she headed to the States alone.
It turned out that Den was behind the fake pregnancy. He then urged Zoe to get pregnant for real, but as Dennis wouldn’t sleep with her, Den offered to do it himself.
Things then took a dramatic turn when Dennis caught Zoe in bed with his dad. Fuming, he decided to leave to be with Sharon. But first, he told Den’s wife Chrissie about his fling with Zoe, leading to his iconic death…
As fans will recall, Den was murdered by Chrissie and with the help of Sam Mitchell and Zoe, he was buried in The Queen Vic cellar. Due to Chrissie letting Zoe believe it was her who had killed Den, Zoe fled to Ibiza.
2005 – Dennis dies tragically
Meanwhile, Sharon and Dennis rekindled their romance and tied the knot – with Sharon also getting pregnant. But their happiness was short-lived after Dennis got involved with gangster Johnny Allen.
After Dennis beat up the bad guy, Johnny ordered one of his henchman to finish off Dennis. And in heartbreaking scenes aired on New Year’s Eve 2005, Dennis was stabbed in the chest. He then died in Sharon’s arms.
Sharon later gave birth to their baby, who she named after his dad. Tragically, Dennis ‘Denny’ Rickman Jnr was killed off in the boat tragedy in February 2020.
2025 – Zoe returns and announces she had with Dennis’ baby
When Zoe Slater returned to Walford earlier this month it was revealed she had given birth to twins shortly after her 2005 departure in 2006. It led to speculation over who the father of her babies was – and now she has revealed it is Dennis.
She claims on the day she left the Square Dennis came to visit her to apologise. They went upstairs and had one last hook-up for old-times sake – meaning he cheated on Sharon.
Dennis was completely devoted to Sharon so she is struggling to take the news in. But did it really happen?
Read more: EastEnders spoilers for next week including Max Branning return and Stacey exit
EastEnders usually airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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