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EastEnders legend has barely aged a day as he reunites with co-star 15 years after soap exit – as fans beg for return
Soap bosses have confirmed who will be returning to celebrate the 40th anniversary
EASTENDERS icon defies ageing after posing for a photo with former co-star.
Ricky Groves, 56, reunited with his EastEnders co-star nearly 15 years after his soap exit as Garry Hobbs.
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Garry made his first appearance on Albert Square on 18th September 2000, alongside the Slater family.
He was the ex-husband of Lynne Slater (Elaine Lordan) and father of the deceased Vivienne Hobbs.
His character was part of some harrowing storylines including Lynne loosing their unborn baby and discovering she was unable to have any more children, after a fairground ride collapsed in the Square and Lynne was buried under the debris.
Garry also tried to commit suicide, but was saved by Minty Peterson (Cliff Parisi).
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His last appearance was on 27th August 2009 after they that Ricky and his co-star Kara Tointon, who played Dawn Swann, would be written out of the soap.
Actor Jamie Borthwick - who plays Jay Brown on the BBC soap - posted a recent photo with Ricky.
And fans couldn't help but notice his youthful appearance.
One fan suggested the character should be brought back to Walford.
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Taking to Reddit, they wrote: "They should start bringing back these sort of ‘random’ characters who don’t have any firm ties to the square.
"It’s a shame that just because a character doesn’t have any immediate family on the square it stops them from returning."
EastEnders star making huge comeback after shock exit - and she won't be alone
Since his departure from the soap in 2009, Ricky has starred in the crime drama Burnside (2000) and crime thriller Two Days in the Smoke (2014).
He has also dabbled in reality TV after taking part in the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2009 and second series of Splash on ITV in 2014.
Ricky got engaged in 2005 to girlfriend and EastEnders co-star Hannah Waterman, who played Laura Beale.
The pair married in a ceremony on 2 September 2006, in a country church on Dartmoor.
Forgotten soap storylines
The nation's soaps have had many gripping storylines play out over the years. However, some plots proved to be far less memorable. Here are some forgotten stories from Weatherfield, Walford and more...
- Ken and Audrey's romance (2015): After the death of wife Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride), Coronation Street original Ken Barlow (William Roache) started to move on in his life. He started to develop a spark with old friend Audrey (Sue Nicholls), with then-Corrie boss saying it would be like "Ross and Rachel". In the end, nothing ever came of it and the two remained platonic pals.
- Beth's bigamy (2016): Despite being happily married to Kirk (Andrew Whyment), a troubling secret came to light about Beth Tinker (Lisa George). It transpired that she had never divorced from her first husband, Darryl (Paul Loughran), father of her son Craig (Colson Smith). Although Craig and Kirk were shocked - and Beth was arrested - the storyline didn't didn't go much further.
- Kat Slater's secret son (2017): Capitalising on the popularity of Kat (Jessie Wallace) and Alfie (Shane Richie), the two received a spin-off back in 2017. Titled 'Redwater', it saw the two travel to Ireland where they met long-lost son Luke, now called Dermott Dolan, played by Oisín Stack. Despite the high-tension events during Redwater, Kat seems to have put the experience behind her as Dermott's not been mentioned since.
- Alfie's brain tumour (2015): Having learned in 2015 that he had a brain tumour, Alfie kept the news from Kat until their trip to Ireland. At the time, actor Shane Ritchie revealed fans would see a change in Alfie as he battled the illness. It would appear that at some point after leaving the Square, was told the tumour was non-malignant. By the time Alfie returned in 2022, fans were left confused over what had happened to the storyline.
- Kathy and Buster's affair (2016): In 2016, Walford legend Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) fell into the arms of convict Buster Briggs, played by Karl Howman. Buster was the long-time lover of Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) and fathered both her sons - Mick (Danny Dyer) and Dean (Matt Di Angelo). When Buster left, he begged Kathy to join him, but she refused for the sake of her family. Meanwhile Buster didn’t even stop to say goodbye to Shirley before exiting with a broken heart. Fans expected a showdown between the two women, but this never came to pass.
- Jacob's OCD (2016): After his dad, David (Matthew Wolfenden), was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016, Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) developed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This manifested in the form of cleaning. Jacob's OCD made a brief return one year on, after David had another scare after finding a lump. Jacob frantically searched the bins for a “lucky coin” that had accidentally been thrown away. Despite stressful situations - such as being groomed by his teacher Maya, losing his fiancee Leanna to a serial killer, dealing with mum Leyla’s drug addiction, and surviving a stabbing - the condition doesn't appear to have returned.
- Marlon and Charity's fling (2003): Few fans would likely remember few will remember the one-night stand between Charity (Emma Atkins) and Marlon (Mark Charnock) in 2003. The pair slept together when Charity was staying with Marlon while still under suspicion for husband Chris's supposed "murder".
- Alex Browning's revenge plot (2014): Fans expected a confrontation when Dr Browning’s son Alex (Ojan Genc) mer stepmum Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe). After all, Mercedes, with Cindy Cunningham (Stephanie Waring) and Lindsey Butterfield (Sophie Austin) had murdered Alex’s dad, double-murderer Dr Paul Browning, after he kidnapped and attacked his new wife. In fact, the soap teased Alex would seek revenge for his father's death upon arriving. However, he instead gave Cindy's son Hilton (his half-brother) a life-saving transplant, became his godfather, and leaving the village soon after.
In January 2010, it was announced that Ricky and Hannah, were to separate after 3½ years of marriage.
The soap will celebrate its 40th anniversary in February and bosses are planning a host of surprises.
EastEnders bosses have confirmed Ruby Allen (played by Louisa Lytton) will be making a bombshell return ahead of the anniversary - and she may not be alone.
She was last seen in November 2021 having claimed to be pregnant with Martin Fowler’s baby.
However after her previous lies and scheming Martin refused to believe her - but will she return with the baby?
Ruby’s exit saw her be framed for Jean Slater’s cannabis farm in revenge for her sending Stacey to prison for a faked assault.
But now the truth will finally be exposed as Ruby returns to the Square to cause chaos for Martin and her old best friend Stacey Slater.
This return is the latest in a long line of major comebacks for the show ahead of its big 40th anniversary next February.
Bosses have announced comebacks for Patsy Palmer as Bianca Jackson, Michael French as her dad David Wicks.
And next week fans will be treated to the return of the iconic villain Chrissie Watts.
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She will appear on screens from Monday and is set to cause chaos in the soap.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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