However, as Colin Brake summarised in the book EastEnders: The First 10 Years, "since like Frank Sinatra [Steve] always seems to make another comeback, perhaps we will list this as a temporary disappearance." In the storyline, Steve, faced with an imminent marriage to Hattie which he did not want to commit to, jilted her, not knowing she was pregnant with his child.
The reference to Frank Sinatra and Steve's tendency to return from supposed absences highlights the unpredictable nature of Steve's character and his potential for future appearances in the story.