Hollyoaks star Zoe Lucker has spoken out about the upcoming child sex abuse storyline in the show.
The actress, who joined the soap as Reenie McQueen – the mother of Porsche, Celine and Cleo – has stressed the importance of dealing with such a topic and explained that they have worked with the NSPCC throughout the process.
She said on This Morning: “The thought of being able to raise awareness about a situation like this is just so, so important… We did meet up with 10 or 11 young victims and survivors of abuse. They were so brave and amazing human beings.
“We just think that by telling this story as truthfully and carefully as we possibly can, we can raise awareness and even a handful of children can come forward and say, ‘Actually I can relate to what’s happening on that screen, I need to talk to someone.'”
Zoe as Reenie McQueen in Hollyoaks (image via Channel 4).
Next week, Zoe’s character Reenie will find out that her daughter Porsche was sexually assaulted by Reenie’s boyfriend Pete when she was 15. The storyline will then take a complex twist when Pete manages to convince Reenie that Porsche is making the whole thing up.
Zoe explained: “Because Reenie is so damaged, she feels this desperation to have a man in her life – love, protection, almost a father figure because that’s something that was very lacking in her upbringing. So she’s so keen to have him around.
“Porsche basically suggests that something happened with Pete many years ago. Reenie’s almost in denial, and he’s very manipulative. He comes across as being a very charming man, so we see more and more and really find out more and more as the storyline continues all the way through this year.”
