Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks star Ijaz Rana, who plays Imran on the soap, has hinted that his eating disorder might soon be discovered by his mum Misbah.
In upcoming scenes, Imran will collapse after battling a secret eating disorder, a situation which Rana hopes will be enough to finally push Imran to confide in his mum.
Rana opened up to Inside Soap about his character's struggles revealing that the disorder will land him in hospital.
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When questioned if this will be enough to open up to Misbah, he said: "She starts piecing it together as they talk. I hope Imran does confide in her, as mental illness leaves scars that don't rub away easily.
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"Imran has a bumpy road ahead," he added of his character's long road to recovery.
The soap star also revealed Imran's motives for keeping the eating disorder a secret, saying that he is too scared to get a diagnosis and accept what is happening.
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During the interview he also explained why Imran has developed the disorder: "It's about a lack of control and goes back to his dad's death, then Ollie's abuse and Imran's anger issues. The charity we've worked with explained that if you can't control external factors, you start looking within. Imran feels he can control what he does with his own body.
According to Rana, Imran's condition will continue to deteriorate as he pushes his mind and body to its limit.
"Being in a calorie deficit takes a massive toll on his body," said Rana. "He doesn't have the energy to pick up a bowl of hot water and burns himself. Imran dismisses it but it gets infected and his condition deteriorates."
A few days later Imran will collapse and end up in the hospital, but will this be the turning point?
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.
Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage.
Beat (www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk) is a charity which raises awareness and understanding of eating disorders, and supports those affected by them. Beat now has a one-to-one secure messaging service. Its phone helpline for those aged 18 and over is 0808 801 0677, and there's also a dedicated Youthline for those under 18 – 0808 801 0711.
