Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks has lined up a new romance for John Paul ahead of his exit – but there’s a twist. Last year it was reported that John Paul actor James Sutton would be exiting the soap this year following his third stint.
Having first appeared as the character in 2006, the actor recently spoke about his decision to leave, saying: “I felt like I’ve kind of done everything that I could do with the character.”
While exact details about John Paul’s exit storyline are yet to be disclosed, we do know that his final storyline will feature the return of a number of members of the McQueen family including Carmel, Tina, Michaela and Myra.
In recent weeks, John Paul was reminded of his abusive relationship with George Kiss after an encounter with a police officer named Smithy at the school left him feeling shaken.
Following the triggering event, John Paul was telling his support group about his abusive relationship when officer Smithy walked in and glared at him.
In scenes set to air next week, John Paul misses his own addiction support meeting to attend a family therapy session with Mercedes, who is currently in rehab, and catches Smithy on his way out.
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Speaking to Smithy, John Paul opens up about his sister Mercedes being in rehab. Smithy gives him his number and offers to help.
When John Paul meets Smithy for a coffee, he confides in him about his family’s concern after his previous relationship with a police officer. John Paul tries to figure out Smithy’s sexuality.
In Price Slice, Liberty confides in John Paul, telling him her concerns about her new relationship with Tinhead and a smitten John Paul bumps into Smithy.
What are the police officer’s real intentions and can John Paul trust him?
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The character is clearly bad news, with the soap previously confirming that the mysterious copper will be involved in Prince’s upcoming story surrounding steroid use.
Speaking about the moment Prince is mistakenly arrested for drug dealing, Prince actor Malique Thompson-Dwyer said: “There is a lot of stuff with police officer Smithy, who starts blackmailing Prince.
“After he gets arrested, Smithy gives him an ultimatum – either Prince spends a long time in prison, or he helps him do something illegal. It’s not looking good for Prince…”
Hollyoaks airs on Mondays-Wednesdays with its Channel 4 streaming premiere at 7am, then an E4 broadcast the same night at 7pm. Full episodes are also released on YouTube a week after their Channel 4 release.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
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