However, after Whitney and Ryan argue when Whitney suggests that Ryan hand himself in to the police, Ryan steals the money from the safe and flees. This causes a catfight between Whitney and Nancy, as Nancy attempts to call the police on Ryan. The next morning, Whitney contacts Ryan and he asks to meet in the park. Lee and Nancy's father, Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) accompanies Whitney and assures a scared Ryan that he can trust him. It then emerges that Whitney told Mick that Ryan killed Rob, so Whitney and Mick convince Ryan to return the money and hand himself to the police for a lesser charge of manslaughter, to which Ryan agrees on the condition that Whitney and Lily visit him regularly. Whitney shares an emotional goodbye with Ryan as he heads into the police station. Whitney later visits Ryan in prison. Several months later, Ryan surprises Whitney by returning to Walford. He explains that he has been released due to a lack of evidence and also reveals he is now in a relationship with a prison officer named Helen. Whitney suggests he move in with her and the Carters. However, Ryan declines and proposes that Whitney and Lee move with him to Wakefield. Initially accepting his offer, Whitney later declines as Lee's mother, Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) disapproves of her and Lee moving so far away. Ryan says the offer is always there and that he will keep a room in his house saved for her, Lee and their unborn baby. After sharing yet another emotional goodbye with Whitney, Ryan departs. He returns two months later for Whitney and Lee's wedding. He watches in delight as they get married. Ryan helps Lee deliver a speech dedicated to Whitney before leaving. Ryan later calls Whitney, informing her that he and Helen are engaged. Ryan was introduced to the show as a mystery character, who was credited simply as "Man" to keep his identity hidden. The show's executive producer, Diederick Santer, remained tight-lipped about the character, saying "I'm not saying too much about him. He's a character played by an actor... All I'll say at this point is that he seems to want to talk to Whitney..." The character's identity was revealed in July 2009 as Whitney Dean's half brother and the son of Debra Dean (Ruth Gemmell), and he was credited as "Ryan" for the first time on 21 July 2009. Santer then described the character as "intriguing and complex", adding, "While incognito, he made a big impression on EastEnders viewers.