It was announced on 26 March 2009 that Groves and co-star Kara Tointon, who played Dawn Swann, would be written out of the soap,[1] and he made his final regular appearance on 27 August 2009 after nearly nine years on the show.

Garry comes to Walford on 18 September 2000 on the day of Ethel Skinner's Funeral, along with his girlfriend Lynne Slater (Elaine Lordan) and her family.

In November 2002, Garry has a drunken one-night stand with Laura Beale (Hannah Waterman) and is stunned on Christmas Day when she tells him that she is expecting his baby.

Garry was persuaded to give Bobby to Ian, devastating him; further upset occurred in July 2004, when Lynne, unconscious after a fairground accident, needed an emergency caesarean.

Garry supports Dawn after the death of her fiancé, Jase Dyer (Stephen Lord), and, believing she has romantic feelings for him, proposes.

Minty finds out and tells Garry, who punches Phil and decides to leave Walford on his and Dawn's wedding day.

He goes to a canal and boards the boat he and Minty have been keeping and, as he is sailing away, Dawn arrives and runs alongside, telling him how much she loves him.

Garry returns to Walford with Minty in February 2025, when both arrive at Billy and Honey Mitchell’s (Emma Barton) joint stendo.

But off they chugged along the Grand Union Canal to a happy future – Garry and Dawn smiling, Summer cheerfully picking her nose.

"[5] In 2020, Sara Wallis and Ian Hyland from The Daily Mirror placed Garry 81st on their ranked list of the best EastEnders characters of all time, calling him "Luckless" and "one of life's chancers" that received his "happy ever after" with Dawn.