Hollyoaks cast: New, leaving and returning characters
RETURNS and exits have kickstarted the new year with Goldie McQueen making a difficult decision in recent scenes.
Plenty of drama is lined up for the rest of 2024. Here's everything you need to know about the comings and goings in Hollyoaks.
Goldie McQueen (Chelsee Healey) - left
Nicole Barber-Lane recently made a highly-anticipated comeback to the Channel 4 village, reprising her role as the fiercely protective matriarch Myra McQueen.
The beloved no-nonsense character was followed closely by Theresa and Cleo McQueen back in Hollyoaks but, unfortunately, her stint was short-lived.
Both Myra and Goldie McQueen were forced to flee the eponymous village during an instalment of the long-running drama aired on January 24, 2024.
It all started when Myra discovered that money she had been hiding had vanished and she was forced to tell Goldie she was keeping the cash for Jacqui, who had been in a spot of trouble abroad.
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After going above and beyond to find the stash of cash, in a desperate attempt to avoid the wrath of the men chasing Jacqui, the pair decided to flee Hollyoaks to keep themselves, and the rest of their family safe.
Luckily for them, Goldie had world cruise tickets which they eventually decided to use to go on the run long enough for things to return to normal.
Sadly, this pushed Goldie into a huge dilemma as her son Prince was expecting to take her up on her offer of a second ticket as he has been desperate to leave Hollyoaks.
As mentioned above, Goldie decided to take Myra on her trip with her and she promised Prince she'd be back in the village shortly.
Goldie's departure from Hollyoaks gives actress Chelsee Healey time off to enjoy her maternity leave as her exit has been said to be temporary.
But how will her return play out?
Theresa McQueen (Jorgie Porter) - returned
Jorgie Porter has had multiple stints in the Chester-based program and reprised her role in 2020.
After she was reported to remain in the show indefinitely, despite previous statements claiming she would leave, fans were delighted to see her find her mark again in Hollyoaks.
However, in December 2022, the actress bowed out of the village once again as her on-screen alter ego Theresa McQueen faced turmoil in her relationship with Romeo Nightingale.
Theresa left Hollyoaks in early December, thus accommodating Jorgie Porter’s maternity leave.
In November, 2023, the soap star revealed she was back on the set of Hollyoaks, ready for more mayhem.
She finally reappeared in the drama on January 16, 2024, in the midst of a horrific car pile-up, alongside Myra McQueen, as mentioned above, and Cleo McQueen.
Speaking of which.
Cleo McQueen (Nadine Mulkerrin) - returned
Much like Jorgie Porter, Nadine Mulkerrin replaced her days in the spotlight for time with her second child.
At the time of her departure, in mid-2022, Nadine said her exit was permanent rather than a maternity leave.
However, after talks with soap bosses late last year, Nadine agreed to reprise her role in mid-January, 2024.
Cleo was thrown into chaos once again as she bumped into her ex Joel Dexter and admitted she was back in Hollyoaks for him.
Unfortunately, her comeback was marked by a shocking car accident involving four different vehicles and plenty of fellow villagers.
Speaking about her return, Nadine said: "I am so happy to be back in the world of Hollyoaks being Cleo. I feel re-energised and super excited for all the amazing storylines coming my way.”
"The fans can expect some unfinished business between Cleo and Joel, and a new mysterious man for Cleo who has a few red flags!"
Cleo is lined up for an explosive love triangle with Joel and Leela Lomax.
Hannah Ashworth (Emma Rigby) - left
Much like Cleo, Theresa and Myra, Hannah Ashworth surprised Hollyoaks residents and viewers by making her own return to Hollyoaks in January, 2024.
The character, who hadn’t been seen since 2010, surprised Darren Osborne by rocking up the village with her half-siblings and his children, Frankie and JJ Osborne.
Upon her arrival, she revealed that Suzanne had money problems and is unfit to look after the pair of them, much to Darren’s shock who let them stay.
It was then revealed that Hannah herself was in a whopping amount of debt.
To make things even more complicated, Hannah bumped into John-Paul McQueen, catching him kissing Hollyoaks High headteacher Carter Shepherd.
After initially agreeing to keep the kiss a secret, Hannah was shocked beyond belief to find out that Carter was actually running a gay conversion cult.
An altercation ensued and Hannah was left unconscious in the booth of the school van by a panicked Carter who believed he had killed her.
Hannah managed to escape and Carter agreed to pay for her silence.
To top it all off, Suzanne arrived in Hollyoaks, fuming with Hannah for taking her children without her consent.
After a heated argument, Hanna took Carter’s money and fled Hollyoaks.
Could she come back once again?
Nadira Valli (Ashling O’Shea) - left
The death of Juliet Nightingale, her former lover, didn’t stop Nadira Valli from finding love again in Hollyoaks.
Sadly, her new love interest Lacey Lloyd fled the village in the wake of Rayne’s death without even mentioning anything to her, leaving her to heal from yet another heartbreak.
But Lacey surprisingly returned in 2024, hellbent on making things right with Nadira.
After explaining to her that she had fallen in love with her, Lacey invited Nadira to Norwich - and the pair of loved-up women waved an emotional goodbye to Hollyoaks together.
Will we hear from them again?
Ella Richardson (Erin Palmer) - left
Four cars were involved in January’s devastating car crash in Hollyoaks and it resulted in many casualties.
But perhaps the biggest of all was the death of village teen Ella Richardson.
The 16-year-old daughter of Warren Fox was killed off in tragic scenes when she was accidentally run over by Ste Hay during the car pile-up at a roundabout.
At the time, Ste was already thrown into a panic as he was trying to get his unconscious daughter Leah Barnes to hospital.
Ella Richardson has had a total of 199 appearances in Hollyoaks since her debut in 2008.
She was involved in plenty of dramatic storylines, making her one of many fan favourite characters.
What’s next for actress Erin Palmer?
Will Ste ever be able to cope with his guilty conscience following Ella’s death?
Will he come clean?
Rafe Harcourt (Chris Gordon) - left
Another death has been haunting Hollyoaks, and more particularly Dilly Harcourt, Rafe’s secret wife.
Lord Rafferty Harcourt was a businessman, founder of investment company Roarke White Ltd - and Sienna Blake’s latest love interest.
The pair were ready to tie the knot as Sienna finally chose Rafe over boyfriend Ethan Richardson.
Sadly, the big day was ruined by Rafe’s death as Dilly Harcourt found him unresponsive after brutally attacking him and hitting him over his head.
Viewers will recall that Dilly knocked Rafe out with a bell, once he realised he no longer loved her and didn’t want to betray Sienna.
Dilly then tied him to a radiator in the cellar before heading to the venue of the wedding and acting like she had no clue where Rafe was or why Sienna had been jilted at the altar.
When she returned to the cellar in later scenes, Dilly was shocked to find Rafe dead, but it remains unclear if he died from his head injury after being struck by his wife - who acted as his sister in public for mysterious reasons - or from a stroke caused by a tumour.
The devious pair’s motives for going after Sienna are still a mystery but it supposedly had a link with her father, Patrick Blake.
Juliet Nightingale (Niamh Blackshaw) - left
This year marked the departure of former Coronation Street star Niamh Blackshaw from the soap after five years, as her character Juliet was diagnosed with cancer.
The beloved character was given a heartbreaking stage 3 Hodgkins Lymphoma diagnosis in the midst of her love triangle with Peri Lomax and Nadira Valli.
While the pair forgave her deception as her health ordeal began, Juliet got closer to Peri who, as a nurse, took primary care of her.
In early 2023, the lovebirds went on a trip to Brighton before Juliet received her scan results.
She was informed she'd need a stem cell transplant but this was unsuccessful as her infection markers were too high.
Juliet fell ill with norovirus and learned she was too weak to undergo any other kind of treatment, meaning her cancer was terminal.
While her and Peri managed to keep this a secret until after James Nightingale's wedding with Ste Hay, Juliet was forced to open up when Donna-Marie realised what was going on.
Juliet even collapsed during James and Ste's wedding reception and she finally admitted she was dying.
Within a short month, Juliet lost her ability to walk and her health rapidly declined.
Peri and Juliet were able to tie the knot before the latter passed away peacefully in July, 2023, at 2 Oakdale Drive.
Donna-Marie Quinn (Lucy-Jo Hudson) - left
While Juliet struggled with her health, Donna-Marie did all she could to give her the best care but her daughter soon felt smothered by her.
Following Juliet's death, she was seen spiralling out of control, overwhelmed with grief.
After an emotional conversation with her pal Leela Lomax and tearful goodbye to her son Romeo, Donna-Marie packed her bags and left the village.
She made her last appearance on September 14, 2023.
Speaking about her exit, actress Lucy-Jo Hudson said: "Donna-Marie gets to a point in her life where nobody can help her. Her son wants to at the very end but at that point, she just knows that she needs to do this herself."
"She needs to leave the village and get herself sorted and she can't do it around her family because they're all watching her spiral and none of them can help."
Could she return?
Rayne Royce (Jemma Donovan) - left
Former Neighbours star Jemma Donovan rocked up Hollyoaks in January, 2023, alongside her best friend Lacey Lloyd.
Branded "an outgoing party girl", Rayne caused some trouble for a handful of villagers as she moved into a shared house with Lacey, Romeo Nightingale, Nadira Valli and Prince McQueen.
Rayne turned a few heads upon her arrival as she caught the eyes of Romeo, Hunter and Prince.
Determined to remain the centre of attention in Hollyoaks, Rayne made up a string of lies, gaslighting the whole community.
However, after nine months, her exit was confirmed on September 13, 2023, as the social media star was killed off in a whodunnit storyline.
"I am so excited to announce that Rayne's reign is finally coming to an end with an incredible stunt week that I am over the moon to share with you guys", Jemma said about her exit.
"I think it's going to be full of drama, full of love, full of chaos but the big question is... who did it? And I'm so excited for the speculation. I can't tell you, but it's a good one so hope you all enjoy!"
Romeo Nightingale was revealed to have accidentally killed Raye during a confrontation near her pool and he was arrested.
What's in store for him?
Grace Black (Tamara Wall) - left
The iconic character went through some intensely troubling times as she was involved in some of the long-running soap's biggest storylines.
Last year, she even had to face the death of her partner Saul Reeves.
But after ten years in Hollyoaks, actress Tamara Wall bid farewell to Hollyoaks fans in July, 2023.
Grace suffered from the fallout from a recent heist and was sent to prison when she took the fall, allowing Cindy Cunningham and Zara Morgan to get off scot free.
She then managed to rope in James Nightingale to represent her in the hopes of either getting a shorter sentence or get moved to a prison nearer her son Curtis in Scotland.
Grace was able to make her second option a reality with a little help from the solicitor - and an infatuated prison guard.
The soap legend was last seen in a post-credit segment during which she asked for the prison she was going to settle into to be warned of her arrival.
However, during her last exchanged with Cindy, who had spiralled following the heist, Grace hinted this wouldn't be the last time they'd see one another.
Could she come back?
Zara Morgan (Kelly Condron) - left
Embroiled in the plot to rob a bank, Zara is another one of Hollyoaks' biggest icons to leave the village.
While Grace was busy making sure she could be closer to her son, Zara made the decision to leave Chester a second time, after coming back in 2021, to travel to Borneo in late June, 2023.
Kelly Condron first appeared in Hollyoaks in April, 1999, making her one of its stalwarts.
Social media accounts for the long-running program celebrated her departure with a heart-warming post.
"Zara has officially left the village! It's safe to say, she has brought us so many memories here in Hollyoaks and will forever be our icon!"
"Thank you to Kelly for bringing Zara to our screens. We will miss you so much, and good luck for everything the future holds."
Is her exit permanent?
Damon Kinsella (Jacob Roberts) - left
Six years have gone by since Jacob Roberts first showed up in Hollyoaks and, in June, 2023, he also decided it was time for a fresh start.
His on-screen alter ego Damon was also involved in the botched heist attempt and he finally decided to follow his dreams by booking tickets to move to New York.
"Get together and say goodbye to the man, the legend, Damon!", a Twitter post from Hollyoaks read.
"He has given us endless entertainment, laughter and tears on our screens, and we will never forget him! Thank you Jacob, for bringing us this amazing character who we've all loved for so long!"
Carter Shepherd (David Ames) - joined
Former Holby City star David Ames made his Hollyoaks debut in Agust, 2023, two months after his casting was initially announced.
David has joined the line-up as Carter Shepherd, the new headteacher at Hollyoaks High.
However, he is also the father of recurring character Freya Calder, played by Ellie Henry, and is trying to rebuild their relationship.
He is also due to be involved in a huge storyline with Hollyoaks icon John-Paul McQueen.
"I am incredibly excited to join the Hollyoaks cast as such an intricately layered character, with a very poignant and vital storyline to come", David said about his arrival in the show.
Dilly Harcourt (Emma Johnsey-Smith) - joined
Emma Johnsey-Smith is another fresh face who joined the Hollyoaks line-up this year.
The actress was cast in July, 2023, as Rafe Harcourt's no-nonsense sister Dilly.
Protective and fiery, Dilly has been causing trouble for Sienna Blaker and her plans to fleece the Earl of Dee.
Speaking about her role, Emma said: "I'm very excited to have joined the cast of Hollyoaks. My time on the show so far has been great and all the cast and crew have been super welcoming."
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Since then, and as mentioned above, Dilly has landed herself into plenty of trouble.
What will she do?