Anorexia Storyline To End In Tragedy

[DaVeyWaVey]

Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks will become the first TV soap to highlight the deadly risks of anorexia in a controversial storyline to be screened this summer.

As the size zero debate continues, the show will explore the potentially fatal consequences of the social pressure to be thin.

The storyline will focus on one Hollyoaks's most popular characters Hannah Asworth.

Hannah - played by Emma Rigby - will develop the illness after befriending an anorexic model.

Melissa (Carla Chase) manipulates her new friend and teaches her weight-loss techniques.

The pair become "anorexic buddies", encouragaging each other to starve themselves, by September one of the girls will be dead.

Although Anorexia has been explored in various soaps, this is the first time that it has been identified as a fatal illness.

The young actresses spend hours in make-up before filming to create bruised eyes and parchment skin, and to highlight the veins on the backs of their hands, which is a tell-tale sign of the condition.

Emma Rigby told the Independant: "My skin has a blue tinge to it, almost corpse-like.

"I have red and blue grease around my eyes to make them look tired and scars built up on my face from spots. I look really horrific."

The storyline is the most challenging faced by the 17-year-old since joining the show two years ago, but she insists that she is happy to raise awareness of the illness. "The magazines show the glossy side of size zero models but this shows the unglossy side, the reality of what being ultra-thin can lead to," she said.

Just over a million people in the UK suffer from illnesses like anorexia and bulimia, although experts predict the true figure is far higher.

It usually begins in adolescence, affecting 1 to 2 percent of teenagers and students.

One in five people diagnosed with anorexia dies from starvation or by suicide, according to Beat, which has advised Hollyoaks on the storyline.

Hollyoaks producer Bryan Kirkwood, said that he was concerned that the show could act as an how-to guide to vulnerable viewers.

"But we are telling a tough story and showing the consequences in every episode. I defy anyone to say we are glamorising it in the series," he said.

"If a single viewer gets help as a result of this storyline, it will have been worthwhile," he added.

Source: The Daily Mail

[Chloe O'brien]

Well done to Emma for taking on this delacate issue. It must be traumatising to watch a loved one starve themselves because they think they are fat. Its a shame that one of the character has to die let's hope its not Hannah, but as they say if they even save one young persons life then the story would have been worth it. However its going to take a lot more than Hollyoaks addressing this matter to convince young people that its not cool to be a size zero.

[tammyy2j]

Its a good storyline to do with the debate about size 0 happening now. I must admit i'd like to see some curvier and heavier actresses/actors in Hollyoaks

[gemzie]

has anyone else heard that hanah dies!!! cant believe it!

[DaVeyWaVey]

has anyone else heard that hanah dies!!! cant believe it!

Yeh i read that spoiler, i really hope it isn't her...she is so sweet and innocent and one of my favourite characters, it's going to be really upsetting if she dies. :(

[gemzie]

it was on the local radio in liverpool that by september one dies and that it will be hanah to be more hard hitting!

[badolpuddytat]

Im sure it will be Hannah as we have only just met Melissa and she is only friends with 2 people Hannah and Sarah, much more hard hitting if its a long running character

[DaVeyWaVey]

Good point about Hannah. It will be more hard hitting and upsetting if she died as she is a long term character who we've grown to care about. I hope Hollyoaks get recognition for this storyline as it's a sensitive issue that effects a lot of young people and it's been built up really well since last Christmas when Hannah first developed the condition.

I'm really interested in the character of Melissa now - at first, i found her irritating but she seems to come across as being a very troubled individual and i want Hollyoaks to delve in deeper for us and tell us why she is.

[badolpuddytat]

There was a pic on the Channel 4 website recently of a greavyard they had built on the set with a memorial of flowers, and they mentioned briefly that someone was going to die...maybe this is for Hannah?

[gemzie]

its such a shame of it is hannah cos she was characer with a lot to give still but i think its only gonna be her to make a difference! if they kill off melissa no will care!

[Katy]

Talk about hard hitting, the storyline has been gradually coming to light and now its really gripping. I really feel foe hannah even Melissa even though i don't like the character at first, but it shows the desperation. It is being portrayed really well.

[loulea]

looks like it is Hannah,found thison the sun online this morning.

HOLLYOAKS is to feature the first ever soap death from anorexia.

Viewers of the C4 teen soap will see pretty Hannah Ashworth (Emma Rigby) lose her life to the eating disorder after her “dieting pact” with size zero model Melissa spirals out of control.

Bosses hope to boost awareness of the issue.

Producer Bryan Kirkwood said: “If a single viewer gets help as a result of this storyline, then it will have been worthwhile.”

[Bryan]

brave move for Hollyoaks, and one I appluad, if it stops these stupid girls from getting involved in this ilnness then it will all be worth it. I hope Hollyoaks get recognition for this storyline.

[gemzie]

this is really gonna be hard to watch if it is hannah who dies! will be really hard hitting!

[StarsOfCCTV]

Ahh, if Hannah dies it'll be really sad, but it raises awareness, so good on hollyoaks :)

[Cornishbabe]

I think its good that hollyoaks are doing the storyline and showing the effects the illness can have, it might make a few people think about there own habbits.

[Chris_2k11]

I hope it isn't Hannah, I quite like her now

[Bree]

I both love and hate this storyline , i do feel really sorry for hannah but she has brought it on herself. Emma Rigby has been great tho really shown that she isn't just a pretty face and she can act!

[.:SpIcYsPy:.]

I think Emma is a brilliant actress and is playing her character really well! I think this is a brilliant storyline and one of the best I have personally seen in a very long time as it REALLY highlights a major illness and the so-called-'trend' size 0 (sometimes even 00)..

I really do hope Hannah does not die.. I wouldn't mind as much if Melissa's chracter died though.. I think Hannah should then try and get some help and eventually get better or something..

[jessicaesutton]

It will be a shame as I like Hannah and I really dislike Melissa. But then the storyline needs to have impact and lots of us like Hannah.

[NickyJ]

I have heard it is Hannah that dies. It says in Inside Soap that the Ashworths have to live with devastating consequences.

[LostVoodoo]

and one I appluad, if it stops these stupid girls from getting involved in this ilnness then it will all be worth it.
people with a mental illness are stupid?

[Katy]

i don't think Bry means it like that, more the reason they get into the illness due to celebrities its a really great move for Hollyoaks even if it be hardhitting, it will also be interesting to see if it is Hannah how it effects the family unit as well.

[Bryan]

and one I appluad, if it stops these stupid girls from getting involved in this ilnness then it will all be worth it.
people with a mental illness are stupid?

as Katy has said above I'm on about the reasons for them getting involved in this disorders, something has to trigger it and all these magazines with their "get thin" articles and this whole celebrity sub culture, and size 0 etc, which force this girls into such desperate and life threatening ilnnesses.

[JoeBoy1987]

I have heard it is Hannah that dies. It says in Inside Soap that the Ashworths have to live with devastating consequences.

lookin at the pictures in the new soaplife it looks like it is hannah that dies :(

[Chris_2k11]

Hannah is on next years calendar so I don't think its her

[StarsOfCCTV]

From What's on TV:
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/8903/07814130247hollyoakstx2gt1.th.jpg (http://img517.imageshack.us/my.php?image=07814130247hollyoakstx2gt1.jpg)

I think it looks like Melissa is the one who dies....

[*-Rooney-*]

when it says it has devastating effects on the ashworths it must mean with hannah as for a start she will have to deal with losing a friend, and overcome her anorexia which will include councelling and im sure all that will be an uphill struggle for the victim and her family.

well done to hollyoaks for tackling this storyline and doing it justice

[Cornishbabe]

I hope it means about hannahs friend dying then her long road of recovery.

[Chris_2k11]

Even if it is Hannah that dies I can't see why Melissa would have reason to stay in the show, so I guess she'd be leaving too

[gemzie]

there was a pic of melissa and hannah in the paper the other day and it said melissa collapsed at end of aug and scares hannah in scenes that lead to melissas eventual death!! so think its melissa that dies!

[StarsOfCCTV]

ANOREXIC PAIR DIE - FACT :(
Recently the media have been shocked to discover that a current storyline featuring Hannah and her friend Melissa, both living with eating disorders, will result in the death of Hannah & friend Melissa from battling with anorexia. This is the first ever soap storyline about anorexia to result in the death of a character from the illness.
"If a single viewer gets help as a result of the storyline, then it will have been worthwhile" said the executive producer in a recent interview
Hannah's death has already been filmed and will be on our screen next month. However it won't be easy watching as this sad end to a horrific storyline closes on one of our best loved characters.

Gues that settles the argument on who dies :o

[DaVeyWaVey]

I thought only one of them dies and i've heard it is Melissa. I really hope Hannah doesn't die too! I want to see her recover from her eating disorder.

[Jojo]

The original article about the storyline was in The Sun (http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2001320029-2007360485,00.html) and it doesn't say anything about them both dying, just the one :searchme:

[StarsOfCCTV]

The article was on hollyoaks world it's a bit of a gossipy website but it was right about the Craig and JP storyline...:p :hmm:

[DaVeyWaVey]

Hmm...it says Hannah is going to die in that article..maybe the Sun have got it wrong?...as Melissa collapses and things don't look good for her!

Hollyoaks is very good at this kind of thing - i remember back at Christmas, rumours were flying around that Max was going to die and it turned out it wasn't true! Maybe this storyline is a bit like this, we think Hannah dies..but she doesn't die after all...maybe it's just one big red herring? :hmm:

[Jojo]

From DS:


Guy Burnet's character, Craig Dean, will be leaving the show around the same time, while Hannah Ashworth's (Emma Rigby) anorexia storyline reaches a deathly end when either she or friend Melissa (Carla Chases) dies after their eating disorder takes its toll.

I would tend to air towards that being more correct tbh.

Reading the original post though, I'm still trying to work out where 2 deaths have come from :searchme:

Though the conclusion of the storyline is due to be at the end of the Summer (?) so we shall soon find out....

[*-Rooney-*]

im pretty sure melissa ends up in hospital this week

[StarsOfCCTV]

She does, but on the article I found it says Hannah dies next month :hmm: We will have to wait and see...:p

[DaVeyWaVey]

Technically if Melissa is in hospital next week, it will be the end of August...and the anorexia death is happening in September, so maybe Melissa comes out of hospital and then Hannah dies?...it's possible as i think Guy Burnet doesn't leave as Craig until the end of September when this death is meant to be happening.

[StarsOfCCTV]

From the C4 hollyoaks web:

HANNAH & MELISSA STORYLINE SET FOR DRAMATIC ENDING

HOLLYOAKS are set to break new ground next month when the Hannah and Melissa storyline comes to a dramatic conclusion.

SPOTLIGHT
Eating disorders have long been a taboo subject when it comes to the media, with brief mentions of the disease here and there but little done to really highlight the problems that follow.

HOLLYOAKS is the first soap to take the unprecendented step to show a death from the disease, as the health of both Hannah and Melissa takes a turn for the worst.

[*-Rooney-*]

im glad a soap is finally brave enough to take this storyline on ending a death as it has never been done before, in other soaps when characters suffer they get trated and a week later they are as good as new i.e home and away jade and matilda suffered bulimia they are fine now. neighbours had debbie martin suffering from an eating disorder but she survived, etc etc

[Bryan]

wish it'd have been Hannah, would have made for much better drama on the show - but even so it'll be great to watch and the storyline has been handled brilliantly. will be interesting to see where they take Hannah next