EastEnders has welcomed back another two familiar faces to Walford ahead of the 40th anniversary celebrations in the form of legends Garry Hobbs and Minty Peterson
EastEnders legend Ricky Groves has made a sensational return to the BBC soap.
During Wednesday’s (February 12) episode, which is available to watch on BBC iPlayer, Garry Hobbs arrived at The Queen Vic alongside best pal Minty (Cliff Parisi) as the pair attended Billy Mitchell’s (Perry Fenwick) stag-do.
The 56-year-old star became a household name when he arrived in Walford as mechanic Garry Hobbs in 2000, remaining on the show for an impressive nine years.
During his tenure in Albert Square, Gary was involved in some huge storylines, including his on-off relationship with Lynne Slater (Elaine Lordan), which ended when their baby Vivienne was sadly stillborn after being born by an emergency caesarean following a fairground accident.
After the heartbreaking loss, he had a near-fatal suicide attempt, only to be rescued by his close pal Minty. In 2009, Garry’s exit from the Square came when he and Dawn Swann (Kara Tointon), got together and decided to start a new life elsewhere, leading to their characters being written off.
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During his time on the show, sparks flew off-screen as well, leading to a real-life romance with Laura Beale actress, Hannah Waterman.
The duo were embroiled in a dramatic storyline in 2002 when their characters had a drunken one-night stand, resulting in Laura claiming she was pregnant with Garry’s child.
However, it later transpired that the baby actually belonged to Laura’s husband, the iconic Ian Beale. Like Ricky, Hannah made her debut in EastEnders in 2000 and while the exact timeline of their relationship remains unclear, the pair got engaged in 2005 and tied the knot a year later.
Unfortunately, their fairy tale ended in less than four years, with Ricky expressing his heartbreak when Hannah decided to call it quits. At the time, Ricky reportedly attributed Hannah’s decision to an “obsession” with her recent weight loss.
However, Hannah, daughter of actor Dennis Waterman and actress Patricia Maynard, was quick to dismiss these allegations, reports MyLondon.
She previously opened up to the Mirror Online, saying: “The idea we split up and our marriage broke down just because I lost a couple of stones is ridiculous.
“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.”
Little did she know at the time, Hannah was actually battling an underlying health condition, as OK reported. “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,” she revealed.
The true cause of her physical changes emerged later; Hannah was dealing with the effects of undiagnosed type 1 diabetes. She expressed her wish to have known earlier, stating: “I wish I had known it at the time – I could have told the world, ‘Back off – I’m ill’,” referring to her diagnosis.
These days, Hannah is joyful in her marriage to actor Huw Higginson, while Ricky has also moved on, confessing that it took time for him to find happiness again but is now wedded blissfully to Kay Russel.
Since his departure from EastEnders in 2009, Ricky’s career flourished with roles in Doctor Who: Thin Ice and Crime of the Century, lending his voice in Markus Creevy, featuring in TV series like Crime Stories and Going Forward, and making an appearance in The Tab Theory film, along with starring in Two Days in the Smoke.
In 2009, Ricky Groves teamed up with Erin Boag on strictly-come-dancing>Strictly Come Dancing, but was voted off in week 10.
The following year, he partnered with Alex Ferns on Celebrity Coach Trip and made a splash on Celebrity Masterchef in 2012.
On New Year’s Eve 2015, he clinched victory on Celebrity Come Dine With Me alongside Kay, and has also participated in numerous pantomimes over the years.
EastEnders airs Monday – Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and iPlayer
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
