With Hollyoaks right in the thick of its 'Summer of Secrets', there are a lot of 'Oh my God!' moments coming up. But the one where Mandy Richardson arrived back in 'Oaks after a six-year gap since her last appearance? That was one of the biggest.
First appearing in the show as a 14-year-old, Mandy's now a 30-something mum-of-one, so – although she's made a few returns along the way – there are a lot of gaps to fill in.
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Firstly, how did she get back together with ex and fellow Hollyoaks alumnus Luke Morgan? Second, how much beef will she have with stepsister Cindy? Thirdly, what is the secret to her eternal youth?
One thing's for certain already, though: Mandy has never been a peripheral character in Hollyoaks, so her storylines are going to be epic. And remember, she's part of the Summer of Secrets, so she's definitely hiding something too. Here's what you need to know about the former queen bee of Chester…
1. When the writers try to come up with storylines for her, they will find a lot already ticked off
Ready? So we have sexual abuse by her father, losing a child to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, about 80 per cent of her family dying early and violent deaths, miscarriage, stalking (she was the stalker, rather than the stalkee), affairs, custody battles, dealing with her boyfriend's rape, and her mum having sex with her ex on a washing machine.
Good luck with that, writers, good luck.
2. Mandy was a man-magnet
You could probably tell that from looking at her, but Mandy went through many of the men in the village.
Those include now-and-previous partner Luke Morgan, a beautiful man named Ben (anyone remember Marcus Patric? Treat yourself to a Google if not) and a host of other noughties beauts.
3. But it's Tony who she really has history with
Oh, Tony. Rarely a year goes by without someone returning to Hollyoaks, looking round to see who they know, spotting Tony and going, "Oh you! You're still here!"
But this time it's juicier. Mandy and Tony have a lot of history as they used to be married and had a daughter, Grace, who tragically passed away.
They've been on and off again approximately 217 times, and since Mandy's relationship with Luke is under strain from his drinking, and she has not been known to be the most loyal girlfriend in the past, don't rule out round 218.
4. She is the only member of her family that is currently alive
Well, pretty much. In Mandy's time on the show, she has seen the loss of her dad (liver cancer, helped along by booze bought by Mandy, who he had abused throughout her childhood), her brother Lewis (suicide), her stepdad (car accident), her mum (death by sitting still under blanket, post-car accident), her stepbrother Max (murder) and her daughter Grace (Sudden Infant Death syndrome).
Cindy and Tom: just watch out, that's all we're saying.
5. She was a mum-figure to Tom
Granted, not a very good one but when it came to parents, Tom didn't have high – or any – standards. When his natural parents died in a car crash, his half-sister Mandy was made his legal guardian but handed Tom over to teenage boys Max and OB when she could no longer look after him.
She later made an attempt to take him from his adoptive mother Frankie, which failed. With Mandy coming back as a mum to daughter Ella this time round, will she want to bring now grown-up Tom back into the fold?
6. She's got a dark side
In 2010, Mandy came back intent on revenge towards ex Tony, which involved hooking up with none other than Warren. Evidence of a dark side, part one.
And then there's the fact that she sent Warren months of threatening texts and tried to scam Cindy. So if we thought Mandy was all flicky blonde hair and very white smiles, of course not. This is soap, remember…
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