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Eastenders legend Ricky Groves looked remarkably unchanged when he left the soap 15 years ago and reunited with his former co-star Jamie Borthwick.
The 56-year-old actor, who is best known for his role as Garry Hobbs in the iconic BBC soap, spoke to Jamie, 30, who plays Jay Brown, and the pair delighted fans with a gorgeous photo of each other.
Jay posted a photo on Instagram of them happily posing together, with the cute caption reading: ‘Legend’.
Ricky looked like he hadn’t aged a day as he smiled for the camera and put his arm around Jamie.
Ricky’s character Garry became a household name in Walford when he first appeared in 2000 as Lynne Slater’s (played by Elaine Lordan) ex-husband and father of Vivienne Hobbs.
Eastenders legend Ricky Groves, 56, looked remarkably unchanged as he reunited with his former co-star Jamie Borthwick, 30, after quitting the soap 15 years ago
The 56-year-old actor was best known for his role as Garry Hobbs in the iconic BBC soap and his departure from the scene came 15 years ago when he and Dawn Swann decided to start fresh elsewhere, leading to their characters being written off
His time on the series was marked by dramatic events, including the heartbreaking loss of a child with Lynne and a near-fatal suicide attempt, which he was subsequently saved by Minty.
His departure from the village came when he and Dawn Swann decided to start over somewhere else, leaving their characters written off.
Considering Ricky competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2009, he may have given Jamie some dance floor advice before taking up the glitterball himself.
Last month it was confirmed that Jamie would be joining the hit BBC series.
However, this is not his first time on the dance floor, as last year he took part in the Christmas special and was crowned champion together with Nancy Xu.
He said: ‘I really enjoyed doing the Strictly Christmas special last year, so when I was asked to join this series it was a no-brainer!’
“This is a new challenge and it will be so different learning a new dance every week and having the audience have their say.”
‘I hope to be dancing Salsa on Albert Square soon and I will ask my Walford Strictly alumni for some words of wisdom. See you on the dance floor!’
Considering Ricky was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2009, he may have given Jamie some dancefloor advice before putting his own spin on the glitter ball
Last month it was confirmed that Jamie would be joining the hit BBC series. It won’t be his first time on the dance floor though, as he appeared in last year’s Christmas special alongside Nancy Xu
He previously admitted that he turned down an offer to appear on the program, and he has since OK! Magazine: ‘They actually asked me’
He continued: ‘I don’t remember what year, I think it was 2018. But it didn’t work out, so I didn’t do it in the end. But… yeah.’
Jamie will join other celebrities including Sam Quek, Nick Knowles, Paul Merson, Montell Douglas, Tom Dean, Sarah Hadland, Shayne Ward and many more.
The production team likely wants the focus of the upcoming series to move away from the controversies of the past, including the fact that the series has been overshadowed by ongoing investigations into claims of mistreatment of key participants.
For three months, the BBC investigated allegations of bullying in the rehearsal rooms.