Hollyoaks spoilers follow from Monday's first-look episode, which is available to watch now on All 4. As these scenes haven't yet aired on TV, this article contains spoilers that some viewers may prefer to avoid.
Hollyoaks has revealed that James Nightingale's downward spiral is far from over.
James had a chance to turn his life around last week as he outsmarted dangerous villain Jeremy Fanning, who'd tried to frame him for a murder he hadn't committed.
In Monday's first-look episode, James appeared to be looking to the future after reuniting with Ste Hay and promising to make some positive changes.
What Ste didn't realise was that James had recently cheated on him with Jeremy's boyfriend Raphael.
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James was also still secretly obsessed with cryptocurrency updates on his phone, enjoying the thrill of the volatile markets he has invested in.
When the pressure of putting on an act became too much for him, James confessed to Ste that he'd cheated on him with Raphael.
Ste responded angrily by kicking James out of the Lomax flat, not wanting anything to do with him following his betrayal.
James later reached a crossroads when Donna-Marie Quinn encouraged him to ditch the cryptocurrency apps from his phone and concentrate on rebuilding his relationships with everyone.
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An erratic James soon did the opposite, returning home to his flat and kicking out Donna-Marie, Romeo and Juliet.
James was back in self-destruct mode as he made hurtful remarks to each family member in turn, which risked ruining their relationships forever.
As Donna-Marie followed Romeo and Juliet out of the door, she had a warning for James before she went: "You know, when you reach rock bottom – and you will – who's going to be there to save you?"
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Speaking about the future for James, Gregory Finnegan – who plays him – recently told Digital Spy: "It's hard to film, because we've spent so long seeing James cultivate a relationship with Romeo, Juliet and even Donna-Marie to an extent. To suddenly watch him break all of those relationships is quite painful.
"I think we're heading towards rock bottom, but we won't get there until a few months' time! It could be over and out for James at this point."
Hollyoaks now streams first on All 4, with new episodes dropping each weekday morning. The show airs Mondays to Fridays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, and at 7pm on E4.
