Matt Lapinskas is familiar to soap fans and is back on screens as the hunky Alex in Hollyoaks, following his time as Anthony Moon in EastEnders.
The actor's character meets Gary Lucy's Luke Morgan after the Hollyoaks regular heads to Majorca for stag party celebrations.
Things soon take a dramatic twist though, with it becoming clear that nice-guy Alex isn't as much of a good person as they first thought.
Gary is also exiting Hollyoaks as Luke, with this dramatic storyline set to be one of his final.
Now with Matt, 33, back on our screens, Daily Star has taken a look inside his life – from his hunky transformation, his return to a "normal" job and his love life.
'Normal' job rant
Back in March 2021, Matt was forced to defend himself after soap fans branded him a "failed actor".
The star had put down his scripts and picked up his tools to work as a builder in order to "put food on the table".
Speaking on the Soap From The Box podcast, the soap star said: "You've got to put food on the table and I've got a mortgage to pay.
"Calling me a failed actor, that's wrong, that's rude."
He went on: "It's just rude, especially seeing as we're going through a pandemic.
"There's nothing wrong with the job. I work with some great builders who do amazing work."
Matt starred as Anthony Moon between July 2011 and August 2012 and didn't get another on-screen acting credit until Dead Ringer in 2018, according to his IMDb page.
He now has a number of projects in the works, but wasn't away from screens for too long after his EastEnders exit as he competed on Dancing on Ice in 2013.
Hunky transformation
Back in 2020, the handsome chap elevated his look after telling fans he'd had a teeth whitening treatment.
The actor was quick to show off his dazzling smile and praise the "five-star treatment" which he had received.
In the show, Matt wore a grey polo shirt and matching gilet as he enjoyed some time on a lake in a boat.
But that wasn't the only thing he has done recently to prepare for his long-awaited return to the screen.
Before his Hollyoaks debut, as the crew was filming in Majorca in Spain, Matt shared a shirtless snap by some docks, wearing a pair of bright white shorts.
With his tan, bulging biceps and rippling abs on show, it was clear that Matt meant business with his soap comeback.
He wrote in the caption: "Right Now life is great but I’m not done yet! Head down and grafting more and more! Just bettering myself as each days comes! Stay true to who you are never let negativity define who you can be!"
Matt has shared a number of body pictures in recent weeks, with one showing a before and after transformation.
He looked toned and healthy in the first shot, but he was completely ripped in the second ahead of his role of villainous Alex in Hollyoaks.
Since then he's shared a number of shirtless snaps as he enjoys the warm weather the UK has enjoyed so far this year.
Co-star ex
Matt Lapinskas dated his EastEnders co-star Shona McGarty, who plays Whitney Dean, after they met on the BBC soap.
They split in March 2013 after he appeared on Dancing On Ice, but he has insisted that it was because of Shona and nothing to do with his closeness with his pro partner Brianne Delcourt.
He told The Sun on Sunday: "Shona had no interest in being there for me. All she was interested in was going out partying until 2am.
"She would turn up on my doorstep, or I'd get a call from one of her friends and have to drop everything. This was a regular thing – she would go out during the week and most weekends."
He described the relationship as "like having two full-time jobs", saying he felt "trapped" with Shona.
The duo split after what was reportedly an explosive argument at a surprise birthday party his Dancing On Ice partner Brianne had organised.
Despite denying any cheating at the time, Brianne later came clean and claimed that she had "tried to help and protect him" during their relationship.
She told The Sun following their split: "I've stood by and lied for him about when we got together as I loved him and didn't want to hurt Shona."
Matt later split up with Brianne and dated actress Camilla Rowland.
And last year he was pictured with Love Island's Amy Day but, judging by his regular thirst trap shirtless photos on Instagram, he doesn't appear to be in a relationship at the moment.
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