Soap fans were stunned to see the return of EastEnders legend Michael Greco as he returned to screens on Tuesday night with a role on Holby City.
The 51-year-old star won legions of fans at the turn of the century as Beppe di Marco on EastEnders – a role he held down for four years from 1998 until 2002.
In the 20 years since Michael turned his back on Albert Square, his acting roles have been few and far between – with just 13 credits to his name since 2002.
So Holby City and EastEnders fans were astonished to see him back on screens in a British show after many years away in relative obscurity.
Michael played a character named Antony Carabello on Tuesday night’s episode – with the character being left on edge after discovering his son, Harry, needed heart surgery.
Fans flooded Twitter with messages of excitement and encouragement following his shock appearance, with one tweeting: "Hellooo Michael / Beppe,” alongside a heart eyed emoji.
And another tweeted: "OMG one of my OG crushes from EastEnders is on Holby. Michael Greco where have you been?"
Where indeed.
Michael’s last acting credit was a character named Hassan in an as-yet unaired TV movie called The Block which finished filming in 2017.
He popped up in Casualty back in 2017 – and had a surprise role as a character named Simon in hit US drama Revenge back in 2014.
Other credits include bit parts in the BBC ’s lunchtime soap Doctors and a small part on the ITV crime thriller Chasing Shadows.
In his personal life, Michael became a first time father in 2020 at the age of 50.
Opening up about his romantic life and fatherhood during a 2020 appearance on Loose Women, Michael said he had fellow EastEnders star Dean Gaffney to thank for his journey towards fatherhood.
He explained: "I've lived in Surrey all my life and I had to move out of my home and, until I could move into my new home, Dean said there was a spare room at his house in Hertfordshire and I stayed with him and I met my beautiful Helen who I'm having my child with, in a bar very close to Dean's house.
“So, had I not moved into his house I would never have met her. So it was fate."
He also reflected on becoming a father later in life, telling the panel: "I was overwhelmed when my partner told me and I did burst into tears. I didn't think I would, but I did and I think it's funny being a dad in my fifties now.
"There are no rules now on when you should be a dad, when you shouldn't and some people have kids when they're younger, some have them at an older age so, like I said, there are no rules in life.
"You can have a kid when you're a teenager, in your fifties, but what I do know is I'm still fit and strong."
