EastEnders legend Tracy-Ann Oberman tonight made her return as Chrissie Watts, something which was kept completely secret as it emerged she was Zoe Slater’s stalker

Tracy-Ann Oberman has revealed Chrissie Watts became “obsessed” with stalking Zoe Slater. Tonight, fans saw the legendary EastEnders villain make her bombshell return after being away from Walford for a week.

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But the return of Chrissie will not go down too well with everybody in Albert Square. For months, Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) has been stalked by an unknown person, driving her to the edge. Initially, she had believed Anthony Trueman was her tormentor before later believing it was her relative, Jean Slater.

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Unbeknownst to Zoe, it was actually Chrissie – along with her secret daughter Jasmine (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness), whom Zoe left at birth and believed had died. Actress Tracy-Ann instantly jumped at the chance to return and send shivers down Zoe’s spine.

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Ultimately, she believed that her character had a strong sense of justice, having spent 20 years behind bars for the murder of Dirty Den, a crime which Zoe managed to get away with. “Ben and I were keen to keep Chrissie’s return a complete secret, so I’m delighted my return was kept under wraps,” Tracy-Ann said of making her return.

She added: “I think that Chrissie has always felt that’s it’s very unfair she spent 20 years in prison and has never really been able to move on from the trauma of Dirty Den and living in Walford. When the opportunity came up to have something over Zoe Slater, who she has always found to be an irritating little girl, she jumped at the opportunity. She clearly has time on her hands!”

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Reflecting on her character’s hard exterior, the Brent-born star said: “Also, Chrissie, whilst being very hard and tough, has a strong sense of justice, and in her mind, Zoe never really paid for Den’s murder, and the part she played in destroying the Watts family.

“What started off as a game for Chrissie has ended up becoming a little bit of an obsession, and finding this gorgeous daughter, who was also hurt by Zoe, seemed like too good an opportunity to miss. Also, I do think she is genuinely very fond of Jasmine.”

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But Chrissie and Jasmine appear to have struck up an inseparable bond, with Tracy-Ann explaining that the teen is like the “daughter she never had,” before saying she wanted to “empower” the teen to “take revenge” on Zoe.

However, while many stars would jump at the chance to head back to Walford, Tracy-Ann revealed that she made sure that her return would be nothing short of iconic. She explained: “What I love about Ben, and the team at EastEnders, is that they are very open to discussing the character and her motivations.

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“They are so respectful about the characters and the actors that originated them. So, we had a long discussion about why Chrissie would actually come back to the Square, and what her motivations were and are. Who wouldn’t want to be part of the storyline on Christmas Day in Albert Square, particularly when it’s Chrissie!

“I enjoyed my return storyline with Sharon (Letitia Dean), last year so much that when Ben Wadey asked me to pop back for Christmas Day, how could I say no? Chrissie is in my DNA; she is such a great character, so I love the idea of her returning at Christmas to create havoc.”

Returning also saw Tracy-Ann reunited with Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace), Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf), 20 years after the Who Killed Dirty Den? drama. She said it was “really emotional” reuniting with her co-stars and being back in the iconic The Queen Vic pub.

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“The other absolute joy of coming back to EastEnders on Christmas Day was the opportunity to work with Jessie, Michelle and Kim. I spent so much time with them in my short but powerful stint on EastEnders.”

Tracy-Ann added: “Being back in The Queen Vic with Michelle and Kim was really emotional. We kept hugging each other and discussing how a lifetime had passed since we were last together, and there was so much to catch up on, including sharing photos of children and talking about how our lives had evolved over the last 20 years. It’s been a really amazing experience.

“It also was a reminder of what EastEnders does best. Strong female characters, in dynamic storylines, working together to create the drama.”