EastEnders' new lovers

Albert Square's latest arrival settles in as he locks lips withÂ…

09:02 21 July 2009

Things are heating up in Albert Square for Ronnie Mitchell when she locks lips with a newcomer to Walford.

Ronnie, played by Samantha Janus, takes up her chance to get over her former lover, Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), when she passionately kisses Ryan Malloy.

The Queen Vic barmaid wastes no time in welcoming Ryan (Neil McDermott) when he arrives in the local for the first time and she invites him down into the cellar for a private moment.   

McDermott joined EastEnders earlier in the year and first appeared on screen in April as a mysterious character.

However, he was recently revealed to be the half-brother of Whitney Dean.

The actor said of his character: "Ryan is a good guy with a bit of a bad streak.

"He was involved in a gang, got himself in trouble and became a wanted man. He got into a ruck with one of them and ended up having to defend himself."

Ryan initially was going to leave Walford believing his half-sister would be better off without him.

But meeting Ronnie has tempted him to stick around for a little bit longer.