Aleksejs "Aleks" Shirovs was the over zealous market inspector and father of Ineta Shirovs and ex-boyfriend of Roxy Mitchell. He made his first appearance on the 24 January 2014. In April 2015, Aleks returned home to Latvia when it was revealed he had been fiddling with the books. Aleks was played by Kristian Kiehling.
Storylines[]
Alek is introduced as a new market inspector who likes to do things by the book. Aleks puts market assistant Tamwar Masood on probation and warns him to prove himself if he wants to keep his job. He tells Tamwar that there are plans to merge the street markets and not to tell anyone. However, Tamwar's sister Shabnam Masood, leaks the news causing the market traders to rally together, led by Ian Beale and Linda Carter. He and Jake Stone rent a flat together. Aleks dates Roxy Mitchell, on orders from her sister, Ronnie Mitchell. When Ronnie calls their relationship off, Aleks is annoyed. When Ronnie fails to meet Roxy as planned, she calls Aleks and he comes to her rescue. The pair end up having sex, which infuriates Ronnie.
Struggling to pay the rent, Aleks advertises for a third person to live with him and Jake. Fiona "Tosh" Mackintosh later moves in and shocks him when he learns that she is in a relationship with Tina Carter. Later, Roxy discovers that Ronnie paid Aleks and they have an argument but they stay together. Then, Aleks' young daughter, Ineta Shirovs talks to him over video chat, asking if he is coming home. Alfie Moon becomes suspicious when he finds Aleks talking to somebody over the Internet in Latvian and he angrily throws Alfie out. Alfie enlists Tamwar's help to hack into Aleks' laptop and see what he is hiding, and Tamwar tells Alfie that he has been contacting his wife. Alfie and Tamwar tell Roxy but she does not believe him, choosing instead to ask Tamwar about Alfie's discovery and he shows her the evidence. Later on, Roxy cooks Aleks a romantic meal and asks about his wife. He reveals he has a daughter, Ineta, and that he is married to Ineta's mother but they are separated. Roxy then throws Aleks out and buys him a plane tickets to Latvia but as he is about to leave, Roxy stops him, saying that she still wants to be with him. Aleks later nearly comes to blows with Alfie after he makes remarks about Aleks' marital status and later gives Alfie's pitch to rival market trader Donna Yates, despite Alfie excusing his absence on the day to illness, causing further tension between them. Roxy asks Aleks to show his commitment to her and he arranges a surprise holiday, proving to Roxy that he's committed and avoiding his wife Marta Shirovs and their daughter who have arrived from Latvia. Aleks has sex with Marta in his office. Ronnie's partner, Charlie Cotton, sees him and demands he tells Roxy, but Marta does before he can. She is devastated and throws him out; however, she realises her feelings for him are too strong and invites him to move back in. Marta goes home but leaves Ineta with Aleks, believing she will be better off in England. Aleks supports Charlie after the traumatic birth of his son Matthew following a car crash and looks after the baby. Inspired by Dot, Aleks suggests the name Matthew. Charlie's wife, Ronnie, goes into a coma after Matthew's birth. Aleks learns that Roxy and Charlie have slept together so he goes to the hospital to tell Ronnie but cannot bring himself to do so.
Tamwar begins to suspects Aleks after he takes an "advance" from the market office cash box, Tamwar later studies Aleks' records and works out that Aleks has been taking an extra maintenance fee but there is no record of it on the council receipts and he has been ripping off the traders. Tamwar confronts Aleks about it so he fires Tamwar and throws the evidence in the bin. Later, Tamwar visits Aleks and tells him that he is fired as Tamwar told the authorities about Aleks fiddling the books and the police have been called. Ineta rushes downstairs to answer the door to Marta as she had overheard their conversation about moving away and so called her mum. Roxy is torn between Aleks begging her to go with him and Marta suggesting that she would be breaking up a family and only to leave with Aleks if she loves him. Roxy decides that she cannot lie to herself any more and agrees that Marta is right. Aleks makes it clear that they will not see each other again so Roxy returns her engagement ring and kisses him goodbye and Aleks leaves before the police can catch him with Marta and Ineta leaving Walford.