The actor, who also appeared in 55 Degrees North, stars as ne'er-do-well Lucas Johnson, who turns up in Walford after Easter to find the daughter he walked out on when she was a baby.
However, Chelsea had hoped that her dad might be a wealthy businessman and his arrival proves to be a major disappointment.
A show source told The Mirror: "Lucas is attractive, charismatic, strong and forthright but that isn't enough for Chelsea.
"Having never met her dad, who walked out on mum Denise when she was a baby, she's always imagined him as a flash businessman. But actually, he's just a dodgy geezer with a murky past."
Diane Parish (Denise) will return later in the year after giving birth to her second daughter.
