Hollyoaks star Charlotte Riley has made her on-screen debut as Leah Barnes, promising major revelations in upcoming Channel 4 episodes. The former Coronation Street actress steps into the iconic role of Ste Hay's daughter, originally played by Ela-May Demircan.
A Fresh Start for Leah Barnes
Long-time viewers will recall that Leah departed the village to pursue studies in the US, leaving her newborn son James behind. In recent episodes, Imran Maalik (Ijaz Rana) proposed to Leah after the pair returned to Chester as a couple, having crossed paths during their travels.
Reflecting on the recast role, Charlotte said: "It's just one of those things where life changes, people change and grow and that's just what's happened with Leah. She's gone into this new era of life and it's a fresh start coming back with Imran. She's still the same Leah underneath but as you come in obviously you've got this front up and you want to show off how well you've worked and she's got all these ideas in her mind and she wants to do this project and work with people and it's like coming back to old friendships."
Dramatic Storylines on the Horizon
Prior to her departure, Leah had a secret liaison with her brother Lucas Hay's boyfriend Dillon Ray and subsequently fell pregnant. She gave birth to baby James, leaving Lucas devastated when the truth emerged. Discussing Leah and Lucas' relationship, Charlotte said: "I'm yet to film with Oscar [Curtis] but I'm sure that the brother and sister relationship is definitely going to still be there. I know obviously things happened with Dillon but as we've already seen in the show, she has forgiven and forgotten and it's family and you're never going to lose your family over things like that and you always get through the hard times together."
Leah's Hidden Secrets
The actress added: "Leah's not forgotten about James. He's gone travelling with his dad so she's kind of put it to the back of her head at the moment and she's kind of just focusing on everyone else's relationships as a bit of a distraction from what's really going on." Charlotte concluded: "We've obviously got the big wedding and people are a bit confused to why she's got money and are second guessing things she might be doing and saying and no matter what, the truth always comes out in the end, so it'll all come out."
Hollyoaks airs Monday to Wednesday on E4 at 7pm, with first look episodes streaming on Channel 4 from 7am.
