Hollyoaks actress Anya Lawrence, who plays Vicky Grant on the Channel 4 soap, has revealed she panicked over rumours that her co-star Isabelle Smith was leaving the show as Frankie Osborne. Earlier this year, spoilers teased Frankie moving to London for dance school, and news of a deadly car crash left fans convinced the character was being killed off.
Lawrence, seeing the spoilers in her scripts, immediately feared Smith was leaving. She told the Mirror: "Thank goodness [she's not leaving]. I was panicking there for a second. I read the scripts and called her like, 'What is going on? Where are you going? Are you leaving?' And she said no!"
Fan fears mirrored by star
Reacting to fans' fears, Lawrence added: "I don't blame them, I had the same reaction as the fans. I'm not even joking, we had so many phone calls about it like, what is going on!"
Recent drama has seen Vicky and Frankie clashing with Leah Barnes, and that could be revisited. With Leah having watched the pair's private confession videos, Lawrence says Vicky will be furious when it comes out. She said: "Vicky is not one to mess with. It's like watching a friend's therapy session. It's bizarre, she would hit the roof. It's the final straw." On whether Leah can befriend the girls again, Lawrence said: "I think there is gonna have to be some sort of remorseful, big display."
Heartache ahead with eating disorder and betrayal
There is also heartache ahead amid Vicky's eating disorder ordeal. Her partner Prince McQueen is set to cheat on her with Leah, and Lawrence says there is no going back after the betrayal. She said: "It's the worst thing you can do, your boyfriend and your friend. She is so attached to him and their relationship is codependent, and when that one person messes up it's the end of the world."
Asked if Vicky would take Prince back, Lawrence said: "No, no, no. We don't take people back." She hopes Vicky will spend some time on her own once she finds out the truth. Lawrence said: "I think she just needs to be on her own for a bit. Get her head together, do some self care, take up some hobbies. I think bin Prince off, one strike and you're out."
Support for Vicky's eating disorder
With no one yet to discover Vicky's eating disorder, Lawrence hopes the people around the character will support her. She said: "The next steps are absolutely critical and I just hope the people around her do as much research as they can to go about it the right way, cos she's still figuring it out for herself." She added: "I think saying it out loud for the first time gives you that awareness. That's so important, to look in the mirror and go this is happening, and that's all she needs to do. It shouldn't be overwhelming, just little steps with good people around her. I think it could be okay."
Hollyoaks is available to stream on Channel 4's streaming service now, while it also airs Mondays to Wednesdays on E4 at 7PM.
