UPDATE: |EastEnders icon Ross Kemp reveals recent return left him ‘fried’ in shock admission News

Grant was back on Albert Square for the soap’s 40th anniversary celebration

EastEnders icon Ross Kemp has revealed that his recent return left him ‘fried’ in a shock admission about the programme.

Ross rose to fame through his first stint on the BBC soap between 1990 and 1999, playing the beloved role of Grant Mitchell.

Prior to going on to focus on making documentaries, Ross’ time on Albert Square saw him involved in Sharongate and witnessing the death of his onscreen wife Tiffany Mitchell.

Only returning to EastEnders on a handful of occasions, including in 2016 for Peggy Mitchell’s death, fans were delighted to see Grant back in Walford earlier in the year

With the programme celebrating its 40th anniversary in February, Ross’ return saw Grant checking on his brother Phil Mitchell amidst his mental health issues.

Despite fans loving seeing Grant back in Walford, Ross has revealed that some of the scenes took a toll on him.

He told the Radio Times magazine: “It was wonderful, but you come away from it slightly fried. Grant comes back and within a minute he’s fighting, he’s crying, he’s making love, then he’s crying about it, then he’s fighting again. He’s never just sat in the launderette.

“The first scene in the anniversary was me breaking into the Arches and wrestling a Beretta 9mm off my brother, so it wasn’t like going to the cafe and saying, ‘Can I have a bacon roll, please?’.”

Outside of the intensity that his return required, Ross was delighted to be back playing the character that ranks amongst fans’ all-time favourites.

“I think a part of me is Grant, and part of Grant is me. It was great to put the leather jacket on again, and also a relief that I could still get in it,” he joked.

With the BBC’s genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are returning to screens next week, Ross shined a light on getting to look into his past.

“Like any family, the stories change as they pass down generations, like Chinese whispers. Unravelling the truth was very moving,” he admitted.

Ross’ episode of the programme will see him learn about his great-grandfather Arthur ‘Pop’ Chalmers, who spent large portions of his life at sea away from his family.

“I felt a sadness that Pop hadn’t been there for his wife and daughter. He left at the start of the Second World War in 1939 and didn’t come back until 1946, because part of his job after the war ended was to load tanks back onto ships and get them back to the UK.

“I’ve spent too much time away myself and it makes you feel slightly selfish, even though I’m doing a job, as was Pop,” he said.