Paul Nicholls shocked fans of EastEnders when he made a surprise return to Albert Sqaure on Thursday's episode.
The actor, 45, reprised his nineties role as Joe Wicks after nearly 27 years away from the soap.
Unfortunately, Paul's character Joe didn't actually set foot in the square, instead appearing briefly to chat on a video call with his father David Wicks (Michael French).
The soap actor originally appeared on the BBC show from 1996 to 1997, appearing in 177 episodes.
Paul has had a varied career since then while he has also hit the healdines for his battles with addiction and a near-fatal accident in Thailand back in 2017.
As he returns to the show that made him a star, MailOnline takes a look at what Paul has been up to since he found fame on EastEnders.
Paul Nicholls shocked fans of EastEnders when he made a surprise return to Albert Sqaure on Thursday's episode
The actor, 45, reprised his nineties role as Joe Wicks after nearly 27 years away from the soap
After he left the soap, Paul had a regular role in the police procedural drama City Central the following year.
He later appeared in a number of TV shows including Gimme Gimme Gimme and The Canterbury Tales.
Perhaps his most noteable role since EastEnders was when he portrayed Jed in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason in 2004.
Away from his career, Paulwas lucky to escape with his life after plummeting the depths of a Thai waterfall in the summer of 2017.
The actor was found with severe injuries at the bottom of a waterfall in Koh Samui - three days after he left his accommodation to go for a ride on his scooter.
Explaining the severity of the incident, he divulged: 'I had been working for a year and a half solidly - for an actor that's quite a lot - I thought, "I'm going to take nine months off".
'I was having a great time and then that happened.'
Paul was originally believed to have fallen after attempting to snap a selfie from above the waterfall, though the reality was a lot more sinister.
The soap actor originally appeared on the BBC show from 1996 to 1997, appearing in 177 episodes
After he left the soap, Paul had a regular role in the police procedural drama City Central the following year
He explained: 'I was on a scooter, no one knew where I was. My friend said, "You should always tell someone where you're going!"
'It was 6.30am, I'd be in the gym already. I lived halfway up the mountain, I went to the top to take pictures.
'I came around the corner, there were about 15 wild dogs. One pack had made a kill and the blood attracted the rest of them.
'The nearer I got to the waterfall, one of them chomped on top of my foot. It drew blood and then he ran off with my flip flop.'
He added: 'I pulled into the waterfall and thought the only way I can go is down but I didn't realise how much I was bleeding.
'As soon as I touched the rock, I just went over. It was a 20 ft drop and my knee hit something on the way down.
'It looked like something just flew out of my knee - part of my knee cap - and then I hit the water. Where my knee cap should have been, there was just a hole and I was holding it.
Perhaps his most noteable role since EastEnders was when he portrayed Jed in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason in 2004 (pictured with Renee Zellwegger, left, and Sally Phillips)
Away from his career, Paul was lucky to escape with his life after plummeting the depths of a Thai waterfall in the summer of 2017
And the actor's distress was only exacerbated when the waterfall setting began to resemble somewhat of a horror scene as legions of leeches and crabs appeared from no where.
He confessed: 'These crabs came out, then the leeches were coming out of everywhere - I wasn't hallucinating.'
'I spent all day battling away the leeches, screaming for help.'
When he was found, the star was semi-conscious and suffering from hypothermia as well as a tropical infection picked up from his untreated wounds and a broken leg.
Paul has previously insisted his trouble with addiction began after this accident.
He began combining a cocktail of substances after struggling to overcome his spirallingdepression.
Speaking previously to The Sun, he said: 'The rabbit hole I went down led to places that I never thought I'd end up in — in flats with people that I didn't know.
'I was taking lots of dihydrocodeine, a very strong opiate pain killer and on top of that, cocaine... every time I relapsed cocaine is always present.
The following year after his Thailand accident, Paul suffered from a stroke which almost killed him, sending him to 'rock bottom'
'At certain points I'd be gone for three or four days and not sleep at all. I stopped caring, I pressed the 'f*** it' button.
'The last time I ended up in a flat with people smoking stuff, doing this and doing that. They recognised me. I was looking around and I thought, 'If I don't stop, I will die'.
The following year after his Thailand accident, Paul suffered from a stroke which almost killed him, sending him to 'rock bottom'.
He remembered collapsing before waking approximately 16 hours later to find he couldn't feel the right side of his body.
According to Paul, it took him three hours to make his way to the phone to call an ambulance. He was paralysed throughout half of his body and felt like his 'life was over,' as he broke down in tears to the publication.
He had to attend physio to regain movement, but felt the damage was already done as his illness triggered a deep depression and subsequent relapse.
His friends encouraged him to join Narcotics Anonymous, where he now feels he can see 'hope' on the horizon.
Paul stated his only vice now is smoking, but he tries to stick to vaping.
He has since found happiness with former dancer Hemma Kathrecha and lives with her and her two-year-old son.
His most recent regular acting role was in the TV show Ackley Bridge in 2018.
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