AN EastEnders legend slammed his ‘disappointing’ soap exit – and revealed if bosses asked him to return for the 40th anniversary.
The show’s impressive milestone has seen a number of past characters brought back on-screen.
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Michael Greco played Beppe di Marco in the BBC soap from 1998 to 2002.
Over two decades on, the 54-year-old addressed his character’s low-key exit from Albert Square.
He told FruitySlots.com: “There were circumstances that prevented me from having a bigger send off, I won’t go into them as it’s water under the bridge.
“But I just left in a cab, didn’t I? I said goodbye to Lynn in the cafe and then had a packet of crisps and drove to Leicester. “
The Di Marco family were introduced to EastEnders as rivals to the Mitchell clan.
Alongside Beppe, the line-up also included brother Gianni (Marc Bannerman) and younger sisters Teresa (Leila Birch) and Nicky (Carly Hillman).
Of the family, it was Beppe who ultimately lasted the longest in Walford.
Elsewhere in his chat, Michael addressed whether he had ever been asked to return – especially in light of the 40th anniversary.
Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley) are among the familiar faces who have reappeared.
Michael revealed: “I left over 20 years ago and there hasn’t been a day they’ve contacted my agent to ask me to come back.
EastEnders legend Michael Greco breaks down in tears on Loose Women as he speaks about son’s hospital hell
“That’s fine. I don’t have any ties to any of the characters. There’s no link to bring me back.
“If the writers wanted you back they would create something.”
Continuing, Michael added: “One of the writers, Lilie Ferrari, who created the family originally, has always wanted the family to come back but it’s not going to happen.
“They’ve brought back a lot of people for the 40th anniversary just to dip their toe in.
“I haven’t been asked so if it was going to happen, it would have. I don’t think it ever will.”
He concluded: “It’s one of those things that it would be great to go back to but I don’t see it happening.”
With the 40th anniversary of EastEnders coming up, fans are looking forward to some more incredible cameos from iconic faces of Walford’s past. But who have we had so far?
a character he first played in 1990. The BBC has described Kemp’s storyline as “explosive”. Kemp said it was an “absolute honour” to return to the show.
Other aspects of the 40th anniversary celebration include: A wedding between fan favorites, A huge explosion at the Queen Vic, and A live interactive episode.
