Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks star Kirsty-Leigh Porter has revealed what's ahead for her character Leela Lomax following the show's one-year time jump.
The Channel 4 soap shifts its storylines forward by 12 months this September, marking a new chapter as the number of weekly episodes drops from five to three.
Kirsty-Leigh recently spoke to Digital Spy about Leela's future while taking part in a photoshoot for the Inside Soap Awards 2024.
Digital Spy was given exclusive video access to Hollyoaks' nominees photoshoot, and you can see our full behind-the-scenes footage at the top of the page.
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Kirsty-Leigh highlighted the importance of showing how Leela and her husband Joel are still grieving for their son Noah, who was stillborn in May. The storyline mirrored Kirsty-Leigh's real-life experiences, as she tragically lost her baby daughter Penny-Leigh in 2018 when she was 29 weeks and three days pregnant.
Speaking to Digital Spy, Kirsty-Leigh explained: "The fresh start that we've got coming up for the show is exciting. I think it's come at a good time.
"Hannah Cheers being exec producer is a decision that we're all very, very happy with. As a long-standing fan of the show, she understands the show, and she understands the characters.
"At the moment, we're all just really excited to get stuck in. It's kind of wiping the slate clean, but also keeping that continuity of what we've been doing before this."
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She continued: "With Leela and Joel's grief journey that we've been portraying on the show, for me there was an initial worry of the time jump – as it's very important to show what happens to bereaved parents through baby loss.
"You don't forget. You don't move on. You deal with it in different ways every day. Even though there's a time jump and it's at the time of showing the baby loss story and the journey, we didn't want that just to be wiped out.
"We're keeping the continuity of that story and making sure that we hit the right marks for the future. Personally for me as Leela, it's concentrating on things like that. It's keeping that secure, even with the time jump.
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"There are also a few surprises in the time jump! As a fan, I hate it when people spoil things, so I don't want to go too much into that, but there are shocks and twists.
"We do that as a show anyway, so imagine giving us time away and then to come back with these shocks and twists that can come out of nowhere?"
Kirsty-Leigh has been nominated for the Best Actress prize at the Inside Soap Awards this year.
Meanwhile, Leela and Joel have received a nod for Best Partnership, and the baby-loss plot has been recognised in the Best Storyline category.
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"It feels amazing to be nominated this year for the Inside Soap Awards in a few categories," Kirsty-Leigh added.
"But mainly so because of the storyline that I've been doing – sharing my personal baby loss story and reaching out to that baby loss community.
"And actually, to be nominated for doing something like that feels like a tipping point. It feels like I've got past a certain barrier or hurdle, because it just means that it's being recognised. Any platform that we can talk about it and share awareness is incredible. I'm eternally grateful for that.
"As for the rest of the show, we've done some very heavy stuff – the sibling sexual abuse storyline has just been incredible. The guys have been working so hard on that.
"It's always nice to get that extra 'well done', a pat on the back for what you've been doing. We should definitely be voting for Hollyoaks because we are always the underdog. We do work hard, and I think we deserve to be up there."
Kirsty-Leigh is up for the Best Actress, Best Storyline and Best Partnership prizes at the Inside Soap Awards, and you can watch our full behind-the-scenes video from the nominees photoshoot at the top of the page.
To see Inside Soap's full exclusive pictures and interviews with the Hollyoaks cast, pick up the latest copy of the magazine, on sale now.
To cast your vote in the 2024 Inside Soap Awards, visit www.insidesoap.co.uk.
Hollyoaks streams first online via Channel 4 each weekday at 7.30pm. Episodes then air on E4 the following day, before getting their YouTube premiere a week after that.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage
Organisations including Sands and Tommy's are able to offer help and support to anyone affected by baby loss.
