Hollyoaks has never been afraid to tackle controversial subjects. After all, it was the first UK soap to deal with the subject of male rape in 2000.
And now actor Ashley Taylor Dawson has warned fans that his character is about to be involved in a plot that will shock viewers to the core.
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Darren is set to be exposed as a child abuser in the shocking storyline, which will see Juliet Quinn accuse him of being a paedophile and child abuser.
The actor – who is celebrating his 20th year on the C4 soap – told The Sun Online’s Soap Bubble that his character Darren doesn’t realise that the schoolgirl has a secret crush on him after he showed her some kindness.
Kindness he will quickly come to regret!
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He said: “Darren’s completely oblivious. He’s always there for people, and he’s always trying to do the best thing.
“In this case, he doesn’t go out of this the wrong way, he genuinely thinks he’s helping.
“She’s having problems and he’s been through family problems, so he thinks he can help her.
“Her mum’s a prostitute, and she didn’t want her in the first place, so he is genuinely trying to be a friend and just a nice guy.”
Unfortunately for Darren, who is totally naive to Juliet’s intentions, he is about to get into huge trouble – as Juliet tells her friends about “a secret boyfriend” and takes advantage of his oblivion after a drunken night out.
Cosying up to him on the sofa, Juliet takes sly selfies beside an unconscious Darren to get pictures of them together, setting the storyline up for a dark turn when Juliet’s version of the truth comes out.
Ashley explains: “Juliette has all the power because she’s a messed up little kid.
“Who knows where she’s going to take it and how far it is going to go?”
While Darren could be sent to jail if he’s suspected of sexual relations with Juliet – take note, Emmerdale’s Maya – he might face an even bigger problem if he’s painted as a criminal.
Hollyoaks fans know that serial killer Breda McQueen is murdering “bad men” in the village and has so far killed Carl Costello, Glenn Donovan, Russ Owen and Louis Loveday.
Meanwhile, Darren’s lover Mandy is pregnant, but the child might not be his…
The child has been dignosed with Spina Bifida, and the storyline is part of the soap’s focus on diversity.
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