Hollyoaks star Ruby O'Donnell explains Peri and Shaq's shock story twist

Hollyoaks spoilers follow.

Hollyoaks star Ruby O'Donnell has teased a big twist on the way for her character Peri Lomax and a grieving Shaq Qureshi.

Earlier this week, the Channel 4 soap named Peri and Shaq as ones to watch when the annual Christmas box-set drops on All 4 on Friday (December 16).

This year's festive episodes see Peri's ex-fiancée Juliet Nightingale further share the news that she has been diagnosed with cancer.

Ahead of Peri finding out, she's heartbroken over being estranged from Juliet and seeks comfort from Shaq, who is currently grieving after the tragic murder of his partner Verity Hutchinson.

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Discussing the storyline, Ruby told Inside Soap: "It was a big shock. I messaged Omar [Malik, who plays Shaq] saying, 'What's going on?'

"Peri is feeling quite rejected and lonely, so is Shaq, and they're good friends after Nadira and Juliet cheated on the both of them.

"So maybe they look for comfort in one another, and who knows where one conversation can lead?"

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Asked how Peri feels about Juliet's illness, Ruby replied: "Overall, she's just in shock and disbelief. When you think about people being diagnosed with cancer, you don't think of healthy 19-year-olds.

"And because Peri's a nurse, it hits her harder because she knows how tough it's going to be for Juliet."

Ruby confirmed that Peri's biggest wish is still to reunite with Juliet after their sad split earlier in the year.

She said: "Of course, she's the love of Peri's life! Peri is always hoping there's a chance for them, even though Juliet cheated on her.

"But you never know what's going to happen – I always thought 'Jeri' were endgame."

Hollyoaks will once again be dropping all of its festive episodes on All 4 ahead of the linear transmissions on Channel 4 and E4.

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 Prime Video.