Amy Barnes
Encyclopedia
Amy Barnes is a fictional character
from the British Channel 4
soap opera
Hollyoaks
, played by Ashley Slanina-Davies
. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 14 November 2005. Amy was created by executive producer David Hanson and Slanina-Davies was offered the role whilst looking for work as an extra. In 2009 Slanina-Davies stated that she would be lost without the role and confirmed her loyalty to the serial. In July 2010, it was announced that Slanina-Davies would be leaving the show. However it was revealed that she was back filming and staying in the serial in 2011. Amy's storylines have included underage pregnancy which resulted in the birth of daughter Leah Barnes and the subject of domestic abuse in her relationship with Ste Hay
. Whilst filming the storyline Slanina-Davies cut her long hair off for charity and this was scripted into the storyline. Amy has also been part of a storyline which saw her pretending her daughter was suffering from leukaemia to scam money out of the community, off-screen this prompted Slanina-Davies to campaign for leukaemia and cancer charity CLIC Sargent and Women's Aid. The issue of post-natal depression has been portrayed following the birth of her second child Lucas Hay. Slanina-Davies has also revealed that she has conducted extensive research into all of her issue-lead storylines.
(Elliot Bevan
), Glen Wallace
(Malachy Fisher
) and John Pickard
(Dom Reilly) announced their departures. A spokesperson for the serial stated: "We're all sad to be losing yet more friends from the cast [...] Nothing's been firmed up yet storyline-wise but one thing's for sure, they'll all be memorable exits." In late 2010 it was revealed that Davies was still filming with Hollyoaks and would remain in the serial in 2011.
have branded Amy as the "Bad Seed" of the Barnes sisters. They also add: "She's not mean-spirited, but she's known for trouble-making."
In 2007 after Amy resumes her relationship with Ste Hay
(Kieron Richardson
) and they move into their own flat, Ste became increasingly violent and started to hit Amy, which was the start of a domestic abuse storyline. Slanina-Davies conducted exstensive research into the plot During an interview with LINC Online she stated: "I research pretty much everything I’m involved in. It’s important to be realistic because there’ll be people out there watching who are hoping to relate to your character. I think if you didn’t research properly you’d only end up alienating the people you want to try and empathise with." One segment of the storyline saw Ste cutting off her ponytail. In real life Slanina-Davies had cut her hair short to raise money for charity of this she stated: "When I had my hair cut short in Hollyoaks I did that to raise money for CLIC Sargant, which is a charity helping children with cancer and leukaemia."
At this time, Amy fell pregnant, but was unsure whether to keep the baby. Slanina-Davies stated that she loved portraying pregnancy in the serial and commented on Amy's dilemma of abortion stating: "I have absolutely no opinion on whether Amy should keep her baby, because I think it's a woman's right to choose." Speaking about 2008 as a whole for Ste and Amy, producer Bryan Kirkwood
stated: "I'm really proud of the way Kieron Richardson has portrayed Ste, dare I say sympathetically, so we can understand but not condone his behaviour. He and Ashley [Slanina Davies] are delivering brilliant performances as two young kids portray the reality of so many 16-17-year-olds as they struggle to make a life for themselves and repeat the mistakes of their parents. It's a very real situation and some of their scenes still to come are downright shocking. It's set to become a very big story as the year progresses." Ste later takes a violent outburst to far and a spokesperson for the serial described it as "the final straw" for Amy. She is later shown leaving Ste after finally realising she needs to accept help from those closest to her. Slanina-Davies and Richardson then fronted a charity campaign called "Expect Respect" in order to combat domestic violence. At the time Slanina-Davies released a statement reading: “Domestic abuse takes many forms, it can be physical, sexual or mental. In Hollyoaks, my character Amy faced this in her relationship with Ste and I know from this storyline why it can be difficult to leave an abusive relationship."
In 2010 Amy was involved in a special week of episodes dubbed "fire week". Amy was described as battling to save her two children Leah Barnes (Jessica Croft-Lane) and Lucas Hay (Jude) in the blaze with executive producer Paul Marquess
stating: "I will say is that it will be shocking." In early 2011 Marquess revealed that Amy would be staying in the show permanently and be involved in a serious storyline in which Leanne Holiday
(Jessica Forrest) would do some "terrible things" to Amy. Executive producer Gareth Phillips
later revealed that there was never any plans for Amy to leave. They filmed alternative endings to confuse viewers and added they had been "mischievous" in doing so. He said it made the serial more exciting and that they had lots of storylines for Amy and Lee because they "make a great pairing".
's (Loui Batley
) swimming training, where she is bored and jealous of Sarah's success. Amy befriends Michaela McQueen
(Hollie-Jay Bowes
), Jamie "Fletch" Fletcher (Sam Darbyshire
) and Josh Ashworth
(Sonny Flood
) and begins a relationship with Ste Hay
(Kieron Richardson
). Ste manipulates Amy into sleeping with him and they later break up. On her 15th birthday, Amy meets a boy called Billy, who she sleeps with. Michaela supports Amy when she discovers she is pregnant. Amy and Ste reconcile and he takes her joyriding, which leads to a crash. Ste flees and Amy is left injured. Amy and Josh start a relationship, Mike disapproves of them. They decide to run away together, after a few weeks they decide to return home. Josh hit Mike over the head with a house brick which ends their relationship. She goes into labour and gives birth to a baby, Leah Barnes, on her kitchen floor, to the surprise of Sarah and their father Mike Barnes
(Tony Hirst
). Amy's mother Kathy Barnes
(Sarah Jane Buckley
) decides to raise Leah as her own child, ashamed of her daughter's underage pregnancy. However, Amy grows close to Leah and decides she wants to be her mother. Kathy kidnaps Leah and is eventually sectioned.
Ste returns to Hollyoaks following a stint in a young offenders' institute. Mike is angry, but Amy lies that he is Leah's father and they eventually move into their own flat. Ste begins to steal to help fund the family, but begins lying that Leah has leukaemia for money. An angry Amy decides to leave Ste, but agrees to continue lying until they have enough money to support them. After the secret is revealed, Ste ends up hitting Amy and she is rejected by her family. Ste's violent outbursts continue, with him cutting off her long ponytail on one occasion. After Amy is threatened by Ste again, she lies that she is pregnant. After admitting her lie, he apologises, seeing what he has caused. Soon after, Amy discovers she is actually pregnant and leaves Ste once again after he attacks her.
Ste begins anger management and Amy gives birth to Lucas. She resumes her previous relationship with Josh, later becoming engaged. However, she suffers from post-natal depression and leaves to stay with her grandmother for several months, whilst there she ends her relationship with Josh once more, eventually returning at Sarah's funeral. Ste tries to help Amy with the depression and she eventually warms to her children again. Amy and Ste become friends and she moves back in with him to be a proper mother to Leah and Lucas. Amy initially believes that Zoe Carpenter
(Zoe Lister
) has murdered her sister Sarah, along with Lydia Hart's
(Lydia Kelly) help she tries to expose her. Zoe however exposes Lydia as the killer and she makes up with Zoe. She begins life as a student and starts dating Olly Larkin (Oliver Watton), who tries to force her into having sex until Ste saves her.
Amy becomes friends with fellow students Jem Costello
(Helen Russell-Clarke) and Lee Hunter
(Alex Carter
). Lee and Amy begin having feelings for each other, despite his fiancée Leanne Holiday
(Jessica Forrest). Leanne's jealousy continues until Lee eventually admits his feelings for Amy and they decide to be together. Amy discovers Ste and Brendan Brady
's (Emmett J. Scanlan
) relationship and is angry when she realises Brendan is abusing Ste. Brendan threatens Amy numerous times for her to keep her mouth shut. Gabby Sharpe
(Phina Oruche
) asks Amy to babysit for her, a fire is started in Il Gnosh downstairs by Dom Reilly (John Pickard
). Amy, Leah and Lucas are trapped upstairs, Amy almost dies until she is saved by Steph Roach (Carley Stenson
), who later dies in the fire. Amy recovers in hospital and tells Ste she thinks Brendan caused the fire. Ste doesn't believe Brendan started it at first, but he then hears a voice mail from Amy saying she's scared because Brendan threatened her (which was on the night the fire started) Brendan then threatened Amy once again in hospital. Scared, Amy tells Lee she is be being transferred to a hospital in Manchester to be near her dad Mike and they share an emotional goodbye. Lee later finds a letter from Amy explaining that they cannot be together, unaware that it was actually Leanne who wrote it.
Amy ruins Lee & Leanne's wedding when she learns Leanne forged the letter. Amy finds out Rae Wilson
(Alice Barlow
) is pregnant with Ste's child. Amy convinces Brendan to end his affair with Ste. Amy tells Bombhead (Lee Otway
) that her near death in the fire and losing Lee took a burden on her life. She got a job as a teaching assistant at Hollyoaks High School, and befiends Pete Hamill
(Peter Mitchell). Amy, Leah, Lucas and Lee sucsessfully audition for a sausage advert campaign. She clashes with Leanne, when she leaves her Leanne twists her ankle. Amy is arrested after Leanne claims Amy assaulted her. The police decide to take the complaint no further.
Leanne starts vandalising Amy's sausage posters placed around the village. Leanne follows Amy and Lee to the filming of a new advert. She attempts to ruin the set by pushing Lee down a ski slope and later climbs into bed with him. Leanne tries to convince Ste that Amy is mentally ill like Kathy. After an argument with Amy, Leanne is found injured at the bottom of the SU bar stairs. She accuses Amy of assault and she is charged. Ruby Button (Anna Shaffer) then bullies Amy in the class room, forcing Pete to make Amy take leave. Amy is faced wirth a prison sentence and repeatedly argues with Leanne in public. She later breaks down and ends her relationship with Lee over trust issues. Leanne drops the charges and reconciles with Lee. He buys her a new car and Dodger agrees to give her driving lessons. She soon finds herself attracted to Dodger. She drunkenly sleeps with Dodger, but insists it is a one night stand. She reconciles with Lee, he later finds out she slept with Dodger. They break up after Lee braodcasts details of their personal life over student radio. Amy realises Lee loves her and proposes to him.
Lee gets a job offer in New York and Amy decides to go with him, taking her kids with her. Ste says no, making Lee quit his job in New York. Amy then has a go at Ste, saying everything she has ever wanted has been ruined by him. Amy then tells Lee to go to New York because it's his dream, but decides not to go with him, staying in Chester. A couple of days later, serial killer Silas Blissett
(Jeff Rawle
) puts a pawn chess piece into her flat and becomes one of his targets, making Lynsey Nolan
(Karen Hassan
) guess who his next victim will be.
. Soap opera reporting website Holy Soap
have described Amy stating: "Amy seemed like the nice girl but was the first to go off the rails after her parents' break-up." They recall Amy's most memorable moment as being: "A drunk and angry Ste lashed out at Amy and she became a battered spouse." Cancer charity CLIC Sargent have branded Amy a "troubled teenager". In 2008 the British Government produced a report detailing how Soap Opera's help aducate children about sex. They used Amy as an example. They said she could help parents talk about the realities of having a child at a young age. Tess Larnacraft from TV Buzz said that the publication's staff could not feel sorry for Amy when she sleeps with Dodger. She also opined that Amy would be better off having a relationship with Dodger, instead of Lee.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the British Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
, played by Ashley Slanina-Davies
Ashley Slanina-Davies
Ashley Slanina-Davies is an English actress born in Standish, near Wigan, who is notable for playing the role of Amy Barnes on Channel 4's teen soap, Hollyoaks...
. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 14 November 2005. Amy was created by executive producer David Hanson and Slanina-Davies was offered the role whilst looking for work as an extra. In 2009 Slanina-Davies stated that she would be lost without the role and confirmed her loyalty to the serial. In July 2010, it was announced that Slanina-Davies would be leaving the show. However it was revealed that she was back filming and staying in the serial in 2011. Amy's storylines have included underage pregnancy which resulted in the birth of daughter Leah Barnes and the subject of domestic abuse in her relationship with Ste Hay
Ste Hay
Stephen "Ste" Hay is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kieron Richardson. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 17 February 2006. Ste was created by David Hanson and was originally intended to be a short-term character for seven episodes...
. Whilst filming the storyline Slanina-Davies cut her long hair off for charity and this was scripted into the storyline. Amy has also been part of a storyline which saw her pretending her daughter was suffering from leukaemia to scam money out of the community, off-screen this prompted Slanina-Davies to campaign for leukaemia and cancer charity CLIC Sargent and Women's Aid. The issue of post-natal depression has been portrayed following the birth of her second child Lucas Hay. Slanina-Davies has also revealed that she has conducted extensive research into all of her issue-lead storylines.
Casting
In 2005 executive producer David Hanson created the Barnes family which included Amy. Actress Ashley Slanina-Davies was looking for work as an extra at the time, but her audition secured her the regular role of Amy. She made her first appearance in November 2005. In 2009 Slanina-Davies admitted she was committed to the serial, stating she "would be at a loss" without the role. In 2010, it was announced that Slanina-Davies would leave later in the year. This was confirmed at the same time as Garnon DaviesGarnon Davies
Garnon Davies is a Welsh actor who was born in Pyle , South Wales on the 16th December 1982. He attended Ysgol Y ferch O'r Sger primary school and then went on to Welsh speaking secondary school Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari...
(Elliot Bevan
Elliot Bevan
Elliot Bevan is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Garnon Davies. He first appeared on 9 January 2007 as a new student. In July 2010, it was announced that Davies would be leaving the show. He made his final appearance on 15 November 2010...
), Glen Wallace
Glen Wallace
Glen Wallace is an Northern Irish actor, born in Ballymena, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland.He is most notable for playing Malachy Fisher on popular Channel 4 teen soap opera, Hollyoaks from 2007 onwards. He also played Mr Michaels in Wire in the Blood in 2006. He appeared in Casualty, playing Bill...
(Malachy Fisher
Malachy Fisher
Malachy "Mal" Fisher is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Glen Wallace. Malachy first appeared in 2007 on a recurring basis and became a permanent character in 2008. The character has been noted for being at the centre of a HIV plot...
) and John Pickard
John Pickard (British actor)
John Pickard is a British actor who is currently best known for appearing in Channel 4's Hollyoaks playing Dominic Reilly from 2005-2010. He is the brother of fellow Hollyoaks star Nick Pickard, who plays Tony Hutchinson, Dom's half-brother, in the soap...
(Dom Reilly) announced their departures. A spokesperson for the serial stated: "We're all sad to be losing yet more friends from the cast [...] Nothing's been firmed up yet storyline-wise but one thing's for sure, they'll all be memorable exits." In late 2010 it was revealed that Davies was still filming with Hollyoaks and would remain in the serial in 2011.
Character development
BBC AmericaBBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
have branded Amy as the "Bad Seed" of the Barnes sisters. They also add: "She's not mean-spirited, but she's known for trouble-making."
In 2007 after Amy resumes her relationship with Ste Hay
Ste Hay
Stephen "Ste" Hay is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kieron Richardson. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 17 February 2006. Ste was created by David Hanson and was originally intended to be a short-term character for seven episodes...
(Kieron Richardson
Kieron Richardson
Kieron Mark Richardson is an English actor best known for playing the role of Ste Hay in Hollyoaks.-Career:...
) and they move into their own flat, Ste became increasingly violent and started to hit Amy, which was the start of a domestic abuse storyline. Slanina-Davies conducted exstensive research into the plot During an interview with LINC Online she stated: "I research pretty much everything I’m involved in. It’s important to be realistic because there’ll be people out there watching who are hoping to relate to your character. I think if you didn’t research properly you’d only end up alienating the people you want to try and empathise with." One segment of the storyline saw Ste cutting off her ponytail. In real life Slanina-Davies had cut her hair short to raise money for charity of this she stated: "When I had my hair cut short in Hollyoaks I did that to raise money for CLIC Sargant, which is a charity helping children with cancer and leukaemia."
At this time, Amy fell pregnant, but was unsure whether to keep the baby. Slanina-Davies stated that she loved portraying pregnancy in the serial and commented on Amy's dilemma of abortion stating: "I have absolutely no opinion on whether Amy should keep her baby, because I think it's a woman's right to choose." Speaking about 2008 as a whole for Ste and Amy, producer Bryan Kirkwood
Bryan Kirkwood (producer)
Bryan Kirkwood is a Scottish-born British television producer. He was the producer of teen Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2006 until 2009 and has been the executive producer of the BBC soap EastEnders since 2010.- Personal life :...
stated: "I'm really proud of the way Kieron Richardson has portrayed Ste, dare I say sympathetically, so we can understand but not condone his behaviour. He and Ashley [Slanina Davies] are delivering brilliant performances as two young kids portray the reality of so many 16-17-year-olds as they struggle to make a life for themselves and repeat the mistakes of their parents. It's a very real situation and some of their scenes still to come are downright shocking. It's set to become a very big story as the year progresses." Ste later takes a violent outburst to far and a spokesperson for the serial described it as "the final straw" for Amy. She is later shown leaving Ste after finally realising she needs to accept help from those closest to her. Slanina-Davies and Richardson then fronted a charity campaign called "Expect Respect" in order to combat domestic violence. At the time Slanina-Davies released a statement reading: “Domestic abuse takes many forms, it can be physical, sexual or mental. In Hollyoaks, my character Amy faced this in her relationship with Ste and I know from this storyline why it can be difficult to leave an abusive relationship."
In 2010 Amy was involved in a special week of episodes dubbed "fire week". Amy was described as battling to save her two children Leah Barnes (Jessica Croft-Lane) and Lucas Hay (Jude) in the blaze with executive producer Paul Marquess
Paul Marquess
Paul Marquess is a Northern Irish-born British television producer.-Television career:His credits include Brookside, The Bill and Family Affairs. He also originated the idea for the series Footballers' Wives...
stating: "I will say is that it will be shocking." In early 2011 Marquess revealed that Amy would be staying in the show permanently and be involved in a serious storyline in which Leanne Holiday
Leanne Holiday
Leanne Holiday is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks and its Internet spin-off Hollyoaks: Freshers, played by Jessica Forrest. Forrest's casting was announced in July 2010 and she began filming her scenes in June. The actress originally commuted from Manchester to...
(Jessica Forrest) would do some "terrible things" to Amy. Executive producer Gareth Phillips
Gareth Phillips
Gareth Phillips is a Welsh former actor, best known for playing Nick Williams in the long-running BBC school drama, Grange Hill. He appeared from 1991-1993....
later revealed that there was never any plans for Amy to leave. They filmed alternative endings to confuse viewers and added they had been "mischievous" in doing so. He said it made the serial more exciting and that they had lots of storylines for Amy and Lee because they "make a great pairing".
Storylines
Amy first appears being dragged to her sister Sarah BarnesSarah Barnes
Sarah Barnes is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Loui Batley. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 10 October 2005. Sarah was created by executive producer David Hanson as part of the Barnes family. In 2009 Batley quit the serial in...
's (Loui Batley
Loui Batley
Louie Anne Batley is an English actress, singer and dancer best known for her role in Hollyoaks as Sarah Barnes...
) swimming training, where she is bored and jealous of Sarah's success. Amy befriends Michaela McQueen
Michaela McQueen
Michaela McQueen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Hollie-Jay Bowes. Michaela was the first of the McQueen family to be seen on-screen in 2006, when she was credited as Michaela Jones. On 8 June 2010, Hollie-Jay Bowes announced that she had quit...
(Hollie-Jay Bowes
Hollie-Jay Bowes
Hollie-Jay Bowes is an English actress best known for her role as Michaela McQueen in Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. Her parents changed her name from Billie Jean to Hollie Jean as her father thought she would get bullied at school and be called 'Billie Bowes', and at 13, she changed her name to...
), Jamie "Fletch" Fletcher (Sam Darbyshire
Sam Darbyshire
Sam Darbyshire is a television actor best known for his role as Jamie "Fletch" Fletcher on the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. He has, however, also appeared in several advertisements and had a small role in Coronation Street. He belongs to a local youth theatre group in Wigan, Willpower Youth...
) and Josh Ashworth
Josh Ashworth
Joshua Josh Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Sonny Flood. He dedbuted on-screen during the episode airing on 3 October 2005 and left on 14 July 2010, after his character was axed by executive producer Paul Marquess...
(Sonny Flood
Sonny Flood
-Background:Born in Blackpool, Lancashire, Flood was educated at Rossall School, near Fleetwood. In 2006 Flood passed ten GCSE exams all at either A or A*. In 2007, he achieved 4 'A's at AS level, in English Literature, History, Media Studies and Philosophy, and in 2008 he achieved a grade 'A' in...
) and begins a relationship with Ste Hay
Ste Hay
Stephen "Ste" Hay is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kieron Richardson. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 17 February 2006. Ste was created by David Hanson and was originally intended to be a short-term character for seven episodes...
(Kieron Richardson
Kieron Richardson
Kieron Mark Richardson is an English actor best known for playing the role of Ste Hay in Hollyoaks.-Career:...
). Ste manipulates Amy into sleeping with him and they later break up. On her 15th birthday, Amy meets a boy called Billy, who she sleeps with. Michaela supports Amy when she discovers she is pregnant. Amy and Ste reconcile and he takes her joyriding, which leads to a crash. Ste flees and Amy is left injured. Amy and Josh start a relationship, Mike disapproves of them. They decide to run away together, after a few weeks they decide to return home. Josh hit Mike over the head with a house brick which ends their relationship. She goes into labour and gives birth to a baby, Leah Barnes, on her kitchen floor, to the surprise of Sarah and their father Mike Barnes
Mike Barnes (Hollyoaks)
Michael "Mike" Barnes is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Tony Hirst. He first appeared in 2006. In 2010, soap opera magazine Inside Soap reported that the character would leave in late January with love interest Zoe Carpenter...
(Tony Hirst
Tony Hirst
Tony Hirst is a British actor and theatre director, best known for playing Mike Barnes on the British soap opera Hollyoaks and currently stars in Coronation Street as the love interest of Eileen Grimshaw.- Filmography :...
). Amy's mother Kathy Barnes
Kathy Barnes
Katherine "Kathy" Barnes is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Sarah Jane Buckley. Kathy arrived in 2005 and in October 2007, it was announced that the character had been written out of the show...
(Sarah Jane Buckley
Sarah Jane Buckley
Sarah Jane Buckley is an actress and singer. She is also an ambassador for The Prince's Trust.She was well-known for playing Kathy Barnes in Hollyoaks from November 2005 to January 2008. These days, Sarah likes to teach acting, which she does so in workshops held for aspiring young amateur...
) decides to raise Leah as her own child, ashamed of her daughter's underage pregnancy. However, Amy grows close to Leah and decides she wants to be her mother. Kathy kidnaps Leah and is eventually sectioned.
Ste returns to Hollyoaks following a stint in a young offenders' institute. Mike is angry, but Amy lies that he is Leah's father and they eventually move into their own flat. Ste begins to steal to help fund the family, but begins lying that Leah has leukaemia for money. An angry Amy decides to leave Ste, but agrees to continue lying until they have enough money to support them. After the secret is revealed, Ste ends up hitting Amy and she is rejected by her family. Ste's violent outbursts continue, with him cutting off her long ponytail on one occasion. After Amy is threatened by Ste again, she lies that she is pregnant. After admitting her lie, he apologises, seeing what he has caused. Soon after, Amy discovers she is actually pregnant and leaves Ste once again after he attacks her.
Ste begins anger management and Amy gives birth to Lucas. She resumes her previous relationship with Josh, later becoming engaged. However, she suffers from post-natal depression and leaves to stay with her grandmother for several months, whilst there she ends her relationship with Josh once more, eventually returning at Sarah's funeral. Ste tries to help Amy with the depression and she eventually warms to her children again. Amy and Ste become friends and she moves back in with him to be a proper mother to Leah and Lucas. Amy initially believes that Zoe Carpenter
Zoe Carpenter
Zoe Carpenter is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Zoë Lister. The character first appeared on-screen on 1 September 2006, as one of three new students at Hollyoaks Community College. It was announced in 2009 that Lister had quit her role in order to...
(Zoe Lister
Zoë Lister
Zoë Lister is an English actress from Stoke Prior, Worcestershire, best known for playing Zoe Carpenter in British soap Hollyoaks. She grew up in Callow Hill near Redditch. where she has lived for most of her life. She trained at the Starlight School of Dance in Winyates, Redditch. Previous to...
) has murdered her sister Sarah, along with Lydia Hart's
Lydia Hart
Lydia Hart is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, a long-running serial drama about life in a fictional suburb of Chester. The character is no longer part of current storylines. She was played by actress Lydia Kelly between 2009 and 2010. Lydia was created by...
(Lydia Kelly) help she tries to expose her. Zoe however exposes Lydia as the killer and she makes up with Zoe. She begins life as a student and starts dating Olly Larkin (Oliver Watton), who tries to force her into having sex until Ste saves her.
Amy becomes friends with fellow students Jem Costello
Jem Costello
Jem Costello is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Helen Russell-Clark. She made her first on-screen appearance on 5 March 2010.-Character creation and casting:...
(Helen Russell-Clarke) and Lee Hunter
Lee Hunter
Lee Hunter was an automotive engineer.His inventions include the "Kwikurent" device for the rapid charging of a car battery, and a machine to balance car wheels while they spin. He founded Hunter Engineering Company in 1946...
(Alex Carter
Alex Carter (British actor)
Alex Carter is an English actor and radio presenter.Carter got his TV break in 1999 when he was cast as Craig Harrison in 9 episodes of the Sunday evening drama Where the Heart Is. He then had a small walk on role in Coronation Street...
). Lee and Amy begin having feelings for each other, despite his fiancée Leanne Holiday
Leanne Holiday
Leanne Holiday is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks and its Internet spin-off Hollyoaks: Freshers, played by Jessica Forrest. Forrest's casting was announced in July 2010 and she began filming her scenes in June. The actress originally commuted from Manchester to...
(Jessica Forrest). Leanne's jealousy continues until Lee eventually admits his feelings for Amy and they decide to be together. Amy discovers Ste and Brendan Brady
Brendan Brady
Brendan Brady is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Emmett J. Scanlan. The character was introduced in 2010 by series producer Paul Marquess during part of the show's overhaul the character has become incredibly popular and liked.He is the older half...
's (Emmett J. Scanlan
Emmett J. Scanlan
Emmett J. Scanlan is an Irish actor from Dublin.In 2008 and 2009, Scanlan appeared in the Justin Timberlake-produced MTV series The Phone, as "The Operator"...
) relationship and is angry when she realises Brendan is abusing Ste. Brendan threatens Amy numerous times for her to keep her mouth shut. Gabby Sharpe
Gabby Sharpe
Gabriella "Gabby" Sharpe is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Phina Oruche. She made her first on-screen appearance on 18 June 2010.-Character creation and casting:...
(Phina Oruche
Phina Oruche
Phina Oruche is a British actress, radio presenter and former model best known for her performances as Liberty Baker in ITV's Footballers' Wives, for which she won a Screen Nations Award for Favourite TV Star....
) asks Amy to babysit for her, a fire is started in Il Gnosh downstairs by Dom Reilly (John Pickard
John Pickard (British actor)
John Pickard is a British actor who is currently best known for appearing in Channel 4's Hollyoaks playing Dominic Reilly from 2005-2010. He is the brother of fellow Hollyoaks star Nick Pickard, who plays Tony Hutchinson, Dom's half-brother, in the soap...
). Amy, Leah and Lucas are trapped upstairs, Amy almost dies until she is saved by Steph Roach (Carley Stenson
Carley Stenson
Carley Anne Stenson is an English actress and singer, best known for playing Steph Cunningham in the Channel 4 series Hollyoaks. She also appeared as a performer in Abbamania, and is a member of the all-female band Diamond...
), who later dies in the fire. Amy recovers in hospital and tells Ste she thinks Brendan caused the fire. Ste doesn't believe Brendan started it at first, but he then hears a voice mail from Amy saying she's scared because Brendan threatened her (which was on the night the fire started) Brendan then threatened Amy once again in hospital. Scared, Amy tells Lee she is be being transferred to a hospital in Manchester to be near her dad Mike and they share an emotional goodbye. Lee later finds a letter from Amy explaining that they cannot be together, unaware that it was actually Leanne who wrote it.
Amy ruins Lee & Leanne's wedding when she learns Leanne forged the letter. Amy finds out Rae Wilson
Rae Wilson
Rae Wilson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Alice Barlow. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 5 October 2009. Barlow was cast into the role, which fulfilled her dream of starring in a soap opera. Fellow cast member Helen...
(Alice Barlow
Alice Barlow
Alice Barlow , is a British actress and singer, best known for her role in Hollyoaks as Rae Wilson.-Career:While a teenager Barlow won a national talent search Festival4Stars. In 2008, Barlow took part 'The Stobart Factor' a talent competition, which was judged by The X Factor judge Louis Walsh...
) is pregnant with Ste's child. Amy convinces Brendan to end his affair with Ste. Amy tells Bombhead (Lee Otway
Lee Otway
Lee Otway is an English actor best known for his role as David "Bombhead" Burke in the British television drama Hollyoaks....
) that her near death in the fire and losing Lee took a burden on her life. She got a job as a teaching assistant at Hollyoaks High School, and befiends Pete Hamill
Pete Hamill
Pete Hamill is an American journalist, novelist, essayist, editor and educator. Widely traveled and having written on a broad range of topics, he is perhaps best known for his career as a New York City journalist, as "the author of columns that sought to capture the particular flavors of New York...
(Peter Mitchell). Amy, Leah, Lucas and Lee sucsessfully audition for a sausage advert campaign. She clashes with Leanne, when she leaves her Leanne twists her ankle. Amy is arrested after Leanne claims Amy assaulted her. The police decide to take the complaint no further.
Leanne starts vandalising Amy's sausage posters placed around the village. Leanne follows Amy and Lee to the filming of a new advert. She attempts to ruin the set by pushing Lee down a ski slope and later climbs into bed with him. Leanne tries to convince Ste that Amy is mentally ill like Kathy. After an argument with Amy, Leanne is found injured at the bottom of the SU bar stairs. She accuses Amy of assault and she is charged. Ruby Button (Anna Shaffer) then bullies Amy in the class room, forcing Pete to make Amy take leave. Amy is faced wirth a prison sentence and repeatedly argues with Leanne in public. She later breaks down and ends her relationship with Lee over trust issues. Leanne drops the charges and reconciles with Lee. He buys her a new car and Dodger agrees to give her driving lessons. She soon finds herself attracted to Dodger. She drunkenly sleeps with Dodger, but insists it is a one night stand. She reconciles with Lee, he later finds out she slept with Dodger. They break up after Lee braodcasts details of their personal life over student radio. Amy realises Lee loves her and proposes to him.
Lee gets a job offer in New York and Amy decides to go with him, taking her kids with her. Ste says no, making Lee quit his job in New York. Amy then has a go at Ste, saying everything she has ever wanted has been ruined by him. Amy then tells Lee to go to New York because it's his dream, but decides not to go with him, staying in Chester. A couple of days later, serial killer Silas Blissett
Silas Blissett
Silas Blissett is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jeff Rawle. Rawle's casting was announced in December 2010 and it was revealed that he would portray a killer. Rawle was approached by Hollyoaks and met with series producer, Paul Marquess, who...
(Jeff Rawle
Jeff Rawle
Jeff Rawle is a British actor, perhaps best known for playing the long-suffering George in the news-gathering sitcom Drop the Dead Donkey...
) puts a pawn chess piece into her flat and becomes one of his targets, making Lynsey Nolan
Lynsey Nolan
Lynsey Nolan is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Karen Hassan. The character originally appeared in the first series of the Hollyoaks spin-off, Hollyoaks Later, as the former girlfriend of Kris Fisher...
(Karen Hassan
Karen Hassan
Karen Hassan is a British actress, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her work includes roles in Hollyoaks Later and Hunger. As of 2010 she is playing Lynsey Nolan in the main series of Hollyoaks.-Hollyoaks:...
) guess who his next victim will be.
Reception
Amy was nominated for "Best Couple" for her relationship with Josh, at the 2007 Inside Soap AwardsInside Soap Awards
The Inside Soap Awards is a yearly award ceremony run by Inside Soap magazine since 1996. The awards celebrate the British and Australian soap operas and their actors. Until 2007, EastEnders had won the award for "Best Soap" on every occasion...
. Soap opera reporting website Holy Soap
Holy Soap
Holy Soap is a UK television and entertainment website founded in June 2009 by the British television company Channel 5. The website is the official UK home of the Australian soap operas Home and Away and Neighbours, which are broadcast on the channel...
have described Amy stating: "Amy seemed like the nice girl but was the first to go off the rails after her parents' break-up." They recall Amy's most memorable moment as being: "A drunk and angry Ste lashed out at Amy and she became a battered spouse." Cancer charity CLIC Sargent have branded Amy a "troubled teenager". In 2008 the British Government produced a report detailing how Soap Opera's help aducate children about sex. They used Amy as an example. They said she could help parents talk about the realities of having a child at a young age. Tess Larnacraft from TV Buzz said that the publication's staff could not feel sorry for Amy when she sleeps with Dodger. She also opined that Amy would be better off having a relationship with Dodger, instead of Lee.
External links
- Character profile on the E4 website
- Character profile on Holy SoapHoly SoapHoly Soap is a UK television and entertainment website founded in June 2009 by the British television company Channel 5. The website is the official UK home of the Australian soap operas Home and Away and Neighbours, which are broadcast on the channel...
- Character profiles on the BBC AmericaBBC AmericaBBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
website