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Actor Ricky Groves made a surprise comeback to EastEnders on Wednesday, reprising his beloved role as Garry Hobbs for Billy Mitchell's stag do. Groves, who previously starred on the soap from 2000 to 2009, shared screen time with his on-screen best friend Minty (Cliff Parisi). The news comes after a decade-long absence for the actor, during which time he has pursued various acting roles, including a guest appearance on Doctor Who and stints on popular shows like Crime Stories and The Tab Theory.
EastEnders' Ricky Groves made an unexpected comeback to the BBC One soap on Wednesday , joining his best mate Minty for Billy's stag do. The actor, who first graced Walford as mechanic Garry Hobbs in 2000, became a household name during his nine-year stint on the show.
Garry was at the heart of several major storylines, including his rocky relationship with Lynne Slater . Their romance tragically ended when their baby Vivienne was stillborn following an emergency caesarean after a fairground accident. After this heart-breaking loss, Garry attempted suicide but was saved by his close friend Minty. In 2009, Garry and Dawn Swann decided to start anew elsewhere, leading to their characters being written out of the show. And during Ricky's time on EastEnders, life imitated art as he and actress Hannah Waterman, who played Laura Beale on the BBC soap, sparked a real-life romance. Their characters were embroiled in a dramatic storyline in 2002 involving a drunken one-night stand, which resulted in Laura telling Garry she was pregnant with his child. However, it later emerged that the baby's father was actually Laura's husband, the ever-present Ian Beale . Like her fellow EastEnders alum Ricky, Hannah first appeared on Albert Square in 2000. The duo hit it off behind the scenes, and went on to marry in 2005, after having announced their engagement that same year. Tragically, their marriage didn't make it past the three-year mark. Ricky hasn't shied away from discussing his post-split sorrow, hinting to MyLondon that he felt Hannah's intensive weight loss could've influenced their parting, reports OK!. However, Hannah, with her star-studded lineage as the daughter of the late Dennis Waterman and actress Patricia Maynard, was quick to dismiss such speculation. She retorted to Mirror Online, "The idea we split up and our marriage broke down just because I lost a couple of stones is ridiculous." In pursuit of setting the record straight, she added, "There's always going to be more than one reason why a couple splits up, but those reasons are between us. Ricky knows what happened, and so do I. To think I lost weight, I turned horrible, I dumped my husband, is stupid." It wasn't until later that an underlying health concern came to light for Hannah, as she told Ok! magazine: "I was eating tons, and I wasn't overdoing the exercise – I was training only three times a week. But I just kept losing weight. And if I looked exhausted, well, I was. But I just put it down to stress." Hannah has candidly shared her struggle with undiagnosed type 1 diabetes, expressing regret over not being aware earlier. She reflected, "I wish I had known it at the time – I could have told the world, 'Back off – I'm ill'," as she looked back on the tough scrutiny she faced from the public.Meanwhile, Ricky has also found happiness again after his divorce, and is now happily married to Kay Russel. Since leaving EastEnders in 2009, Ricky has expanded his acting repertoire with roles including a guest appearance in Doctor Who's 'Thin Ice', voicing Markus Creevy in 'Crime of the Century', and featuring in series like Crime Stories, Going Forward, and The Tab Theory.Ricky took to the dance floor with Erin Boag on Strictly Come Dancing in 2009, exiting in week 10. The following year, he joined Alex Ferns for Celebrity Coach Trip and showcased his culinary skills on Celebrity Masterchef in 2012. On New Year's Eve 2015, Ricky was victorious on Celebrity Come Dine With Me with Kay by his side, and he has since been a staple in pantomime. In 2021, he played Jimmy Jangles in The Tab Theory.
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