Hollyoaks airs Easter egg about former cast member

Note: The following article mentions an instance of domestic abuse and coercive control that some readers may find upsetting.

Hollyoaks spoilers follow.

Hollyoaks unveiled a little throwback Easter egg for its fans in tonight’s (August 19) first-look episode, referencing a former character of the show.

About 12 minutes into the episode, Maxine was seen talking to Vicky about the band Westlife.

“You know, I think their lyrics really do speak to women,” she said of the band.

“Do you know what? The world would be a better place if more men were just like them,” she added.

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Then came the Easter Egg moment when Maxine mentioned Westlife band member Kian Egan.

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“I have always been team Kian. You know, when he got married, I was absolutely heartbroken,” she said, before asking Vicky whether she’d heard from Joseph.

Kian, as fans may recall, is married to Hollyoaks alum Jodi Albert, who played Debbie Dean on the show until 2004, when she quit to pursue other creative projects.

Since then, Kian and Jodi have gone on to wed and have three children together.

Elsewhere on the show, Shaq struggled to write a wedding speech for Nadira. When he was prompted to think about all the things he likes about her, he imagined Verity as his muse instead and came to the realisation that he might be making a grave mistake. Hours before the wedding, Shaq was nowhere to be found.

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Meanwhile, later on in the show, Maxine told Vicky about the abuse she faced at the hands of her late husband, Patrick, in the hope that Vicky would realise that she deserves better than Joseph.

“I used to be married to a man called Patrick. He was sophisticated and so charming and he swept me off my feet, and then he would turn on me, like that,” she said, as she snapped her fingers. “He’d keep me hostage.”

Maxine then resorted to catfishing Vicky in order to drive her away from Joseph, but has she taken things too far?

Hollyoaks 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.

Selected omnibus episodes are available via Amazon Prime Video.

If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, organisations including Refuge (www.refuge.org.uk) and Women's Aid (www.womensaid.org.uk) can provide further support and information. The 24-hour, freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247. The US National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or text LOVEIS to 22522.