Loretta's Secret Revealed!!!

[Dazzle]

I agree Hollyoaks has been poor recently. I'm still waiting for my fave, Darren, to get a decent storyline. This Loretta storyline will pick things up, if done tastefully.

[Perdita]

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s1...hollyoaks.html

Melissa Walton (Loretta Jones, 'Hollyoaks')

Former pole dancer Loretta Jones - played by Melissa Walton - is in for the shock of her life next week when her best friend during childhood Chrissy (Amber Hodgkiss) turns up out of the blue and threatens her existence in the village. Loretta's apparent unease is initially puzzling as she attempts to force Chrissy - who keeps calling Loretta 'Joanna' - out of Hollyoaks. However, the reasons behind Loretta's apprehension over Chrissy's arrival become clear as Chrissy blurts out their childhood secret - that when they were both 12, they killed a child of the same age. Here, we chat to Melissa about her shock storyline twist, Loretta's relationship with Jake and where it all goes from here.

How do you think Loretta's developed since you made your transition from last year's Later to the 6.30pm show?
"It took a little while and until now, we've known little about her. Nobody in the village knows who she is or where she's come from. She's just planted herself in the village knowing hardly anybody. She's quite a mysterious character. I'm absolutely loving the opportunity to explore her backstory."

What was your reaction when you heard about what Loretta's done in her past?
"I was like, 'Oh my gosh!' I was so shocked but absolutely chuffed to bits because this is what all actors want – something massive like this to sink my teeth into. I feel so privileged that they've trusted me with this story. I know they've wanted to do it for a while and they've finally chosen me!"

Why is Loretta being so edgy and non-committal about her relationship with Jake?
"Because of her past, she finds it very difficult to commit to being in a relationship with anyone. It obviously means that she'd be lying to whoever she's with because she can't tell them the truth. When she starts falling for someone - like she is doing with Jake - she gets out of it as quick as she can. That's why she didn't make an effort to get back with Dom. With Jake, it's a little different because she really understands him and what he's been through. She believes that he deserves forgiveness and a second chance."

A lot of viewers are confused over why Loretta was writing to him while he was in hospital…
"Basically, Hannah wrote one letter to Jake and he responded. Because Loretta was living in Nancy's flat with her and Hannah, Loretta read the letter and felt that Jake deserved another opportunity in life. She started writing back to him from then because she totally understands where she's coming from. It's almost a meeting of minds."

Loretta's past comes back to haunt her in the form of her old friend Chrissy - why does she appear in the village? And what do we learn about Loretta?
"Loretta and Chrissy were best, best friends through childhood. They were closer than sisters. She somehow tracks Loretta down and turns up out of the blue after Loretta's finished a dance class. What we learn is that when they were 12, they bullied a young girl and didn't stop until they killed her. They kept pushing and pushing and eventually killed her. Since then, Loretta and Chrissy have been completely separated from each other, their families and friends. They've spent years in institutions having psychiatric and behavioural treatment."

How did Loretta end up in Hollyoaks, then?
"She was sent back out into the world with a new identity – she was called Joanna Norman when she was younger!"

Why has Chrissy tracked Loretta down?
"Chrissy ended up falling in love with someone after she was released from her institute and she fell pregnant. She ended up miscarrying the baby and her husband walked out on her. Chrissy's a desperate woman when she turns up in Hollyoaks looking for her old best friend - the only person in the world who really understands her."

How does the week end with Loretta?
"Loretta's so threatened by Chrissy being there and knowing where she is that she has to get out of it. This whole new life that Loretta's made for herself in Hollyoaks - he new friends, her new job, her new boyfriend – is under threat by Chrissy being there. While Loretta and Jake are having a meal in Il Gnosh, Chrissy even turns up there and starts introducing herself to everyone. All Chrissy has to do is call Loretta by her old name, Joanna and that's it - she'll have to start all over again. To get away from it all, Loretta disappears on a bus…"

Will we ever see Loretta's family?
"Not that I know of. All I've been told is that every time her family's mentioned, Loretta clams up. She's not seen her family since the incident, so they've either disowned her or she's been kept away from them. She doesn't have anyone in her life. Loretta's managed to move on with her life and put the past behind her, which is why Chrissy's arrival is such a threat to Loretta."

Is there a lot more to know about Loretta's past?
"Chrissy's return is only the beginning, but by the end of the week when Chrissy's returned, she's disappeared and Loretta's bolted… It's only a matter of time before their paths cross again, but to what lengths will Chrissy go to get her best friend back?"

[Perdita]

Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks has agreed to axe its upcoming child killer plot just days before transmission.

Last month, 42-year-old Denise Fergus, the mother of murdered child James Bulger, expressed her outrage at the Liverpool-based serial embarking on a storyline that she believed to have strong connotations of her son's murder

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s1...ller-plot.html

[Dazzle]

Wow, I can't believe they agreed to this so close to transmission. I have to say I'm glad; no matter what the producers say, they must have based this idea on the James Bulger case and it's just too raw at the moment.

[lizann]

so what now for Loretta?

[miccisy]

ok it is bout 2 children killing another but that is the only similarity. James bulger was only young, not 12 and he wasnt bullied beforehand. I know it must be upseting for his mum but how can she be disgusted wen it obbviously is nothing to do with her

[Perdita]

HOLLYOAKS bosses have ditched their controversial child killer plot which echoed the murder of James Bulger.
The Channel 4 soap landed in hot water after Denise Fergus, the mother of the tot who was led to his death by 10-year-olds Jon Venables and Robert Thompson in 1993, blasted the show for the storyline.

In the disturbing scenes, due to air this week, Loretta Jones, played by Melissa Walton, was to be exposed for her troubling past.

After an old friend, Chrissy (Amber Hodgkiss) turned up, it was to be revealed that the pair had been living under false names after bullying a youngster to death when they were kids themselves.

Outraged Denise met with the show's bosses and was granted a private screening of the four episodes before complaining about the similarities to her son's case.

Lime Pictures, the soap's production house, agreed to drop the storyline and work on another plot with the input of Denise.

Following the talks, Denise said the meeting was "constructive" and said she accepted that the show's bosses had no intention to mirror the tragic events concerning her son.

She added: "Having said that, there was no doubt in my mind that the plot carried some of the hallmarks of what happened to that evil pair after they were convicted of murdering James.

"The part that I found most disturbing was that there were scenes in which two child killers were seen to be giving each other sympathy."

She continued: "I was shocked to see two people on screen, who were immediately identified as 'Thompson and Venables' in my mind, talking about how they had murdered another child.

"It was turning the killers into celebrities and to me that was completely unacceptable."

A Lime Pictures spokesman said the producers take their duty to deal with sensitive issues seriously.

He added: "This particular storyline was not based on any real-life case and was not intended to recreate actual events. However, after conversations with Denise Fergus we have agreed to amend certain aspects of the storyline."



http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...r-killing.html

I can empathise with Denise Fergus