EastEnders star Ross Kemp has addressed the possibility of another return for Grant Mitchell as he praises co-star Steve McFadden.

Ross recently returned to our screens for the soap’s 40th anniversary as part of a big storyline for Steve’s character Phil Mitchell.

Phil had been battling depression for several months, and best friend Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley) was concerned for his welfare.

Wanting to get to the root of the problem, Nigel called on Grant for support.

However, Grant proved to be of little help, as he brushed off Nigel’s concerns, until things reached a devastating breaking point when they found Phil attempting to take his own life.

The scenes marked the first time Steve and Ross had worked together in ten years, though Ross has revealed that, while they have always been friends, they are now more in touch with each other following his most recent return to the Square.

‘When the producers first asked me [to return] last year I thought, it will make people happy, it will make me happy and it will pay for Christmas!’ He told The Mirror.

‘Luckily Steve had the door open for me – he could have closed it. But we picked up where we left off. We had a couple of chats before I started filming.

‘My first day after not being on set for a number of years was screaming and shouting and crying and wrestling a gun off him as he was about to shoot himself in the head. It starts like that. And it was like that for the next month.

‘When I finished, we said we’d keep in touch and we have. I mean, we are not phoning each other every day but I think we had a good ten years working virtually every day with each other and I think when you get older, that becomes more important than it was at the time.

He went on to explain that they focused more on their families than each other after working closely together for so long, but that he wouldn’t rule out going for dinner with the actor soon.

He went on to praise Steve’s work in the show, which has also resonated with fans in recent weeks.

‘Steve is a fine actor and I don’t think soap actors get recognised for how good they are. Acclaim and recognition is reserved for people doing films and big one off dramas but Steve is absolutely fantastic.

‘I have great respect for him, in terms of his ability to maintain that energy for 35 years.’

Addressing the possibility of another return to the show, Ross said: ‘It was really good working with Steve again, and I would love to work with him again.’

Could Grant be set to return to Walford? There is certainly unfinished business with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) after the pair shared a passionate moment.

But with Phil having realised that his feelings for Sharon are as strong as ever, could we be in for Sharongate round two?