Hollyoaks

We’ll start our look at soapy news with Emmerdale, where Charley Webb has been telling Soaplife that a baby is just about the last thing her character Debbie Dingle wants right now.

Debbie is of course living with boyfriend Cameron, but now she’s worried that she can’t trust him.

Charley said, “She’s having doubts again, especially when she sees him flirting with Eve.

“She’s back to not knowing if she can trust him.”

And when asked who Debbie tells first that she’s pregnant, Charley said, “Chas and her mum Charity. They’re both totally shocked because Debbie’s not excited about it.

“Instead she’s going, ‘I’m pregnant, it wasn’t supposed to happen, what am I going to do?’”

Charley then discussed Cameron’s reaction when Debbie tells him the news.

She said, “He doesn’t say much at first which makes her think that definitely things aren’t right.

“He’s actually in shock, but Debbie has no patience with him and storms off.”

And finally, when asked if Debbie and Cameron can make it as a couple, Charley said, “I hope so. I think they make a really good couple.

“He’s left his family behind which is a massive, massive thing to do. Cameron’s been very upset about that – it wasn’t an easy thing to do.

“Debbie’s been upset about it, too. It’s always going to be there in Debbie’s head – that he abandoned his kids and his wife – and Debbie feels terrible about that.”

Over to Hollyoaks now, and Emmett Scanlan has confirmed that he and his co-star Claire Cooper are dating.

Emmett, who of course plays Brendan Brady, has been unofficially dating Claire – who plays Jacqui McQueen – since late last year, but the couple kept their relationship under wraps until recently.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Emmett said that he was initially attracted to Claire’s professionalism.

He said, “Claire is great. She’s been in Hollyoaks for more than four years and she’s one of the strongest actresses.

“We share a similar love for acting. It’s great to have that common ground. I call her Jaffa because I joke she looks like a Jaffa Cake.

“I thought she was a top actress and that’s what massively attracted me to her as a person.”

And finally over to Corrie, and former Street star John Savident – who played Fred Elliott – says he doesn’t watch the show anymore.

In an interview with the Manchester Evening News, John also criticised some of the younger cast members saying, “Honestly I rarely watch Corrie now. Some of the young people just want to be on screen and have no ambition to act elsewhere…

“What future do they have when their contract ends?

“One of them asked me who this Laurence Olivier was I was talking about as he’d never heard of him!

“Olivier was my hero and I had the honour of working with him on a couple of occasions.”

John added that he has few regrets about leaving the show, but added the he misses some of his co-stars.

He said, “Apart from missing all my friends in the Street, particularly the lovely Sue Nicholls who is such a lady, Bill Roache and the wonderful Betty Driver.

“Now most of my other friends have also left like Steven Arnold (Ashley) and Julia Haworth (Claire) who were the loveliest family. At least they were given plenty of notice.”

More Corrie news soon!

The Daily Mirror today reports that former Hollyoaks and I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here star Gemma Atkinson has joined the cast of BBC1 drama, Casualty.

Here’s the Mirror’s article in full…

Celebrity star Gemma Atkinson is joining Casualty as a glamorous paramedic.

The lads’ mag pin-up, 26, was chosen by BBC producers in an attempt to sex up the long-running hospital soap.

Gemma, who used to appear in Hollyoaks, will play Tamzin and is expected to cause a bit of a stir among the A&E’s male doctors and workers.

Scrubbing up alongside her will be Sex and the City 2 star Dhafer L’Abidine in the role of competitive paramedic Omar.

Producer Oliver Kent said: “Tamzin is going to bring a touch of glamour to the paramedic team and set some hearts racing in the emergency department while Omar’s melting roadside manner is going to raise the temperatures of Holby’s female patients.”

Gemma, best known as Lisa Hunter in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, is currently appearing as Miss September in Calendar Girls in the West End.

She has had a string of famous boyfriends including footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Bent, who she was once engaged to.

She is currently dating Liam Richards, a finalist on 2008’s Britain’s Got Talent with martial arts act Strike.

The curvy Manchester lass is also a magazine favourite – although she has now put her modelling days behind her. She jumped at the chance of appearing in Casualty, even though it means wearing a high-visibility jacket.

Gemma said yesterday: “I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the show and really looking forward to getting to know all the cast and crew.

“I used to watch it as a child so to be involved is fantastic.”

Tunisian-born actor Dhafer starred alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall as Sheikh Mahmoud in Sex and the City 2.

He has also appeared in high-profile British dramas including Wallander and Wire in the Blood.

Gemma and Dhafer start filming on Casualty this month and will appear on screen from September. Now in its 25th year, BBC1’s Casualty is the world’s longest-running primetime medical drama.

Drugs bust! A short and sweet stay, and bezzy mates!


The Sun today reports that EastEnders and Shameless actor Jody Latham was arrested yesterday on suspicion of growing and supplying cannabis, and assault.

28 year old Jody – who of course played Rob Grayson in ‘Enders – was apparently arrested at his home in Bacup, Lancashire, which is where police allege he’s been growing cannabis, which is a Class B drug.

The paper reports that police raided Latham’s home after “a man suffered an eye injury in a 3am row”.

A witness to the incident told the paper, “There was shouting and a pink bike was thrown out of the house.

“Two men then went round the back of the house and continued insulting each other.

“They then disappeared off but Jody’s Jack Russell must have escaped and I heard him screaming and shouting for his dog.”

A police spokeswoman said, “A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of producing a Class B drug, namely cannabis, and being concerned in that drug’s supply.”

The paper adds that Latham also faces claims he had an offensive weapon in his possession.

In 2006, Jody, who shot to fame as ‘Lip’ Gallagher in Channel 4’s Shameless, was cautioned after police found cannabis at his flat in Salford. His agent refused to comment yesterday.

In other news, Adele Silva’s return to Emmerdale as Kelly Windsor is now over, but the show’s bosses say they’re “leaving the door open” for her to return.

Adele, who returned on a four month contract, filmed her final scenes yesterday. She’ll next be seen starring in “black comedy” Strippers Vs Werewolves.

On the subject of a possible return to Emmerdale, a show spokesman said, “Her storylines could see her return at any time.

“Adele is working on a film at the moment, but there’s every chance she could be back depending on storylines and scripts.”

And finally, over in Hollyoaks, Karen Hassan reckons that Bronagh Waugh “is the person to know” on the set of the show.

Karen is joining the Channel 4 soap full-time as Lynsey Nolan, after previously starring in Hollyoaks Later. She revealed that being friends with Bronagh helped her to fit in with the rest of the cast.

Karen is quoted on Hollyoaks’ website as saying, “I knew a few of the cast members from Hollyoaks Later anyway, so it’s like going to work with your mates every day.

“I’m quite lucky that I’ve got a friend in Bronagh (Waugh, who plays Cheryl). She knows everybody!”

Karen went on to say that she’s delighted to have been asked back to Hollyoaks.

She said, “I’ve been acting now for about six years. I got the call to come back and do the show while I was in the middle of a theatre run in Ireland.

“I was in Hollyoaks Later about two years ago with Bronagh, Glen and Gerard.

“Then two years later I get a phone call to tell me the character is being brought back into the show…

“I was dead chuffed! For an actor it’s great to be able to go to the same workplace for a year.

“I was just thinking the other day how lucky I am to be able to have the same boss, same set of work colleagues, and just being secure in a job…

“Because you then have that security to stretch your wings as an actor.

“Plus, obviously, there’s other perks. It’s on prime-time television, it’s got great coverage, and it’s brilliant fun.”

More soaps news soon!

Sometimes, celebrities caught with drugs are just sent to an href="http://www.projectknow.com/research/addiction-treatment/">addiction
treatment center and do not serve actual prison time.

EastEnders divorce? Emmerdale baby! And Hollyoaks wedding


Our first look at the soaps’ news begins with EastEnders actor Nitin Ganatra, who says it would be “a shame” if Masood Ahmed and Zainab Masood were to divorce.

The couple are of course facing tough times financially, and the reappearance of Zainab’s ex-husband Yusef is driving the couple further apart.

Speaking to Inside Soap about the prospect of a divorce if things continue their downward spiral, Nitin said, “The beauty of the Masoods is that they work so well as a family unit.

“Divorce? Now that would be a shame! I think it’s much better to keep them together.

“There are already so many families who are fragmented on the show…

“The Masoods need to be kept together to represent the minority of long-lasting happy relationships that do exist!”

However, Nitin revealed that he’d quite like to see things getting worse for the couple before they get better.

He added, “In a way, I’d like to see Zainab go off with Yusef because I’d love to see Masood fighting to win his wife back from him!”

Over to Emmerdale now where Charley Webb has revealed that her character, Debbie Dingle, is about to discover she’s pregnant!

But the pregnancy couldn’t have come at a worse time because Debbie isn’t sure she can trust Cameron and even suspects he could be having an affair with Eve Jensen.

Speaking to All About Soap, Charley said, “She’s been struggling to trust Cameron, so finding out she’s going to have his baby isn’t going to help matters at all.

“She’s also caught him flirting a bit with Eve Jenson and so she’s been concentrating on getting to the bottom of that at the moment, rather than her pregnancy shock.”

However, after Cameron convinces Debbie that he hasn’t been unfaithful, Debbie tells him that she’s pregnant.

Charley said, “He doesn’t say anything at first, which makes her think he isn’t interested in being a dad.

“But he’s just trying to get her head around it like she was.

“He’s eventually pleased, but he has got a lot of convincing to do before Debbie will believe he can change and be a good father to their child.”

Finally, over in Hollyoaks Jacqui’s got an ultimatum for Rhys, and she tells him, “Marry me now or never!”

Claire Cooper, who of course plays Jacqui, made the revelation to Soaplife, saying, “As you can imagine, there are lots of ups and downs and twists and turns.”

And when asked, “Where has Jacqui been since she vanished?” Claire replied, “She’s been staying in Spain with Billy and her half-sister Emily.

“Rhys is disappointed Jacqui didn’t get in touch while she was away.”

Jacqui is also struggling to cope with the fact that the jury didn’t believe that she was raped…

Claire said, “It’s hard to deal with. As far as Jacqui’s concerned those things happened to her.

“But she’s got to keep her head held high because she knows people are talking about her and judging her.”

However, in a bid to prove to Jacqui how much he loves her, Rhys “runs around the village shouting that he loves Jacqui and plasters love messages all over the place.”

Claire added, “She knows he loves her, but I don’t think she needs any more drama.”

But when Jacqui succumbs to Rhys’ charm offensive, she rather unromantically just turns up at his door saying, “I’ve been stood here for ages waiting to propose to you.”

However, Rhys accepts and the couple book the wedding for the following day!

Claire said, “It’s all very impromptu but Jacqui starts to panic and rushes round for a last-minute chat with Rhys.

“He tries to convince her that they’re doing the right thing, but it’s a ‘Will they, won’t they turn up for their own wedding?’ moment.”

More soaps news soon!

Plus Keith Duffy’s son Jay joins cast


Hollyoaks stars Claire Cooper and Emmett Scanlan have initiated rumours that they’re an item after having been pictured kissing while on holiday together.

The couple, who play Jacqui McQueen and Brendan Brady, have been rumoured to have been in a relationship since last year, but this is the first time that they’ve been publicly together.

The pictures in yesterday’s Daily Star Sunday showed the couple strolling on a beach in Mallorca beach, holding hands and embracing.

A source said to be close to the couple revealed that their relationship has been an “open secret” on-set, and added, “They get on really well and everyone is genuinely happy for them…

“They started seeing each other last year but things turned serious between them after Valentine’s Day.

“Emmett whisked her off to Paris and they came back more loved-up than ever.

“Claire’s worried that if she talks about her personal life it will put a lot of pressure on their relationship as Emmett isn’t the first of her co-stars that she’s dated.

“She had a brief relationship with Kevin Sacre, who played Jake Dean, so she won’t talk about it.”

In other news, Corrie star Keith Duffy’s 15 year son Jay has joined the cast in a guest role. It’s expected he’ll start filming for the show at its Liverpool studios later this month.

Keith announced the news while appearing on RTÉ’s ‘The Late Late Show’ saying, “Nobody knows yet, but Jay has been auditioning in the UK for the past few weeks and he found out yesterday that he’s going to be one of the new stars in Hollyoaks!

“I have to say, this is nothing to do with me being in the business at all – an agent came to see him when he was doing Peter Pan.

“They were looking for an Irish guy in Hollyoaks. They rang Jay up, he went to London, did an audition, did a screen test, they called him back and they gave him the job.”

Then later, writing on Twitter, Keith added, “Jay Duffy starts in Hollyoaks in a couple of weeks! Very proud of him!”

More ‘Oaks news soon!

Plus, Craig Vye on Ethan and Theresa’s romance storyline


Hollyoaks actor Emmett Scanlan has revealed to the Daily Star Sunday that he’s quite similar to his character, Brendan Brady.

Emmett added that he thinks of himself as a “bad boy”.

He said, “My parents say that I’m pretty much like Brendan, except for the kissing the boys thing…

“So I don’t know what that says about their parental skills.

“I think there’s an element of bad boy in all of us. And sometimes I can have a moment.

“When I came into the show my aim was to be the most hated man in Britain or on soap TV.

“In some weird twist the more freaky and crazy this guy is the more the viewers like him.”

He also hinted that he has a, “massive, very dark” storyline coming up on the show.

In other news, Craig Vye has been telling What’s On TV about his character Ethan’s true feelings towards Theresa, and Ethan’s engagement to Liberty.

When asked “So, how does Ethan really feel about Liberty?” Craig replied, “He’s in love with her, but I don’t think he loves her enough to marry her.

“He’s told Theresa that he loves her and he means it. He loves them both!

“And he’s a coward. And he doesn’t want to hurt Liberty.”

WOTV then asked, “So explain why he wasn’t put off when he found out Theresa killed Calvin?”

Craig said, “Theresa’s confession did shock him, but when she nearly died after falling down the lift shaft, Ethan realised he had deep feelings for her.

“He’ll start to get really nervous when they start planning the wedding!”

He was then asked, “Do you think he and Theresa are suited?” to which he replied, “Yes. They come from different worlds, but I think there is something about their personalities that matches.

“He loves her warmth and finds her ditzy moments endearing.”

And finally, WOTV asked if Ethan would turn out to be a “bent copper” like Calvin, Craig said, “He’s not like that. He believes that being a policeman is a calling.

“He’s not comfortable keeping Theresa’s secret and there might come a time when it’s too much for his conscience…”

More ‘Oaks news soon!

Returning Corrie actor Philip Lowrie has told the TV Times that there’s a possible romance ahead for his character Dennis Tanner.

Philip returned to the show last week, 43 years after his last appearance, and it seems that he and Rita Sullivan (Barbara Knox) could well become more than friends.

Philip said, “I asked Barbara Knox, who plays Rita, how many husbands has she had?

“She said two, so there might be a third, you never know!”

Philip went on to reveal that the show’s executive producer, Phil Collinson, approached him direct about reprising the role of Dennis.

He said, “I said to myself years ago that I was fed up going to auditions and getting rejected, but if somebody asked me to do something I’d do it.

“And I can’t see anything not to like about this, especially the storyline. It gives the character somewhere to develop.”

Over to Hollyoaks now where Rachel Shenton – who plays Mitzeee Miniver – has been telling Holy Soap that she’d love to star in an Australian soap.

She said, “Australia is on my to-do list – I have never been and everyone says how wonderful it is.

“One of my friends is out there at the moment, so I would definitely like to.”

Rachel added that she would love to appear on Neighbours or Home and Away.

She said, “I’d love to do something hard-hitting like a lawyer or a policewoman, something like that. That would be nice.”

And finally, over to Emmerdale where Suzanne Shaw has revealed that she’ll be starring in pantomime this Christmas.

Suzanne is of course leaving the show, and her role as Eve Jensen, later this year, but fans can catch her in the panto at Manchester’s Opera House all through December.

Speaking about the role, in which she’ll star alongside Pineapple Dance Studios’ Louie Spence, Suzanne said, “I am really excited and looking forward to playing Cinderella in Manchester later in the year.

“I know it’s going to be lots of fun playing alongside Louie Spence.”

More soaps news soon!

Hollyoaks actress Rachel Shenton has a secret ambition according to the PA…

She’s apparently “desperate” to work with British TV legend Sir David Jason.

The 24-year-old actress, who plays Cheryl Cole lookalike Mitzeee in Hollyoaks, told Reveal: “I grew up watching him on telly, and he’s amazing in everything.

“I met him at the National Television Awards and he was really lovely.”

What many fans may not know about Rachel is that she’s far from just a pretty face – being fluent in British Sign Language.

“My dad died when I was 14 and he lost his hearing two years before that. I saw what effect that has on a family, and I wanted to learn sign language.” She’s also spent time as a sign language interpreter:

“That’s what I was doing between acting jobs before Hollyoaks, to pay for auditions. It’s rewarding to be able to make someone’s day that little bit easier.”

Away from her work, Rachel describes herself as “a bit geeky. I like reading a lot, and I go to bed early. I’m nothing like Mitzeee, thankfully.”

© Courtesy of the Press Association

EastEnders actor Arinze Kene is jumping ship to Hollyoaks in order to play a troublesome character.

The former EastEnders cast member will take on the role of Rocco on Hollyoaks, seeing him arriving in the village in May.

His character will quickly befriend Riley O’Connor (Rob Norbury) before seeing him into a troublesome spot due to gambling debts.

Kene featured as Connor Stanley on EastEnders.

Source: WhatsonTV.co.uk

Con artist becomes victim, green eyed monster takes over, and a truce reached?


Coming up in Hollyoaks next week, the big storyline is that Jenny is about to find herself at the mercy of evil Silas Blissett!

It all begins to go the way of the pear for Jenny when she and Doug connive to find a way to get the hell out of dodge – well, Chester anyway – and decide that fleecing a vulnerable man might be the answer…

But when Jenny meets up with that ‘vulnerable’ man, viewers will be horrified to find her secluded ‘date’ in the woods is with serial killer Silas!

Things go according to plan for Jenny at first, with her plan to administer a sedative – so that she can rob the man of his cash and credit cards – in his drink apparently working, but what she doesn’t know is that Silas knows exactly what she’s up to and he swaps their glasses around…

So Jenny unknowingly drinks the sedative, but as she starts to feel a little odd, she rummages through Silas’s bag, expecting to find his wallet, but what she finds instead fill her with horror…

Ropes, gloves and a knife are what she finds, and instantly, she realizes her life’s in danger. So, she tries to run away, but as the sedative really kicks in, Silas is just waiting for his prey to fall…

Back in the village, Brendan’s devastated to hear that Cheryl can’t forgive her brother’s actions, but he and Warren come to an uneasy truce. But how long will that last?!

And finally, nuttier than squirrel poop Leanne can’t contain her jealousy over Lee’s friendship with Amy, so she goes to desperate lengths to keep her man…

Oh dear!

More ‘Oaks news soon!

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