EASTENDERS’ Ross Kemp reveals that Grant is still in love with Sharon as he opens up about his long-awaited return to the BBC soap.

Sharon sealed her fate when she married the wrong Mitchell brother, Grant played byRoss Kemp, in 1991.

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Their marriage quickly turned sour, with Grant and Sharon clashing over her obsession with making the Vic a success.

Grant was more set on having children with Sharon and eventually stomped out in 1992 after Sharon confessed she had been taking contraceptive pills to avoid getting pregnant.

When Grant returned and plunged deeper into a life of crime, Sharon embarked upon an affair with Phil.

Grant eventually ended up in prison for burning the pub to the ground in an insurance scam.

But when Grant was released, he and Sharon tried to give things another go.

That is until SharonGate happened!

A tape of Sharon confessing her affair with Phil put a huge spanner in the works when it found its way into Grant’s car.

And in what is undoubtedly one of the most iconic soap moments of all time, a devastated Grant played Sharon’s confession in the Queen Vic for all the Square to hear back in 1994.

He dropped the shock bombshell during Phil’s engagement party to Kathy, before beating his brother unconscious.

Despite Phil ending up in hospital, Sharon and Grant eventually reconciled and continued with their relationship until the following Christmas when she finally agreed to divorce him.

Grant Mitchell’s best bits in EastEnders

Since then, all has been forgiven, and Sharon and Phil even went on to get married before her affair with Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) was exposed and led to their divorce.

Now, in a bid to help and rescue his brother, Grant is back in Walford and will come face-to-face with his ex-wife after decades.

According to actor Ross Kemp: “Grant will always harbour feelings for Sharon.”

In a new interview with the BBC, Ross explained: “He’s secretly in love with her, and I think he believes they are meant to be together, it’s just that Phil keeps getting in the way!

“Amazingly, people still talk about Sharongate, so there’s always been plenty of interest in the dynamics between Grant, Sharon and Phil.

“Tish Dean told me that Sharongate is the story she’s most proud of, and she’s had plenty of big storylines during her time, so that means a lot.”

But Grant is back in Walford, to help his brother Phil in the midst of a mental health crisis.

Ross said: “He doesn’t want to admit there is anything wrong with Phil.

“He can see that something is going on because Phil isn’t himself, but he refuses to admit it to himself.”

Reflecting on filming, Ross said: “It was great to work with Kellie, who is a lovely actress. It was like time had stood still in some places with Steve and Paul.

“We’re all a lot older, unfortunately, but there was something really endearing about being together in scenes as we look back at 40 years of the show.

“It was a really nice feeling, and we managed to have some moments of levity amidst all the gritty drama.”