Darren and Nancy

Hollyoaks' Nancy Hayton is left reeling next week as her mother Margaret returns from Canada for a surprise visit.

Keen to mend bridges with her daughter, Margaret (Darryl Fishwick) suggests that Nancy should leave the village behind and join her abroad - promising a bright future working for a big newspaper.

However, Margaret's gestures of goodwill don't extend to Nancy's fiancé Darren Osborne (Ashley Taylor Dawson) and she quickly embarks on a nasty scheme to split the couple up. With an oblivious Darren busy plotting his secret wedding to Nancy, is he in danger of losing her altogether due to Margaret's interference?

Here, Jessica Fox - who plays Nancy - chats to Digital Spy about what's to come.

For the benefit of newer viewers, can you remind us of Nancy's relationship with her mother?
"Well, Nancy is the younger daughter and her older sister Becca was always the apple of Margaret's eye - while Nancy never quite lived up to any of Margaret's expectations. Nancy was a bit like the black sheep of the family, so her relationship with her mum is quite strained and difficult.

"The last time we saw Margaret, she arrived all of a sudden and walked in on Nancy in bed with Jake - who was obviously Becca's ex-husband. Margaret thought that was an absolute disgrace and told Nancy that she never wanted to see her again. After that, Margaret went off to Canada. Nancy and Charlie have been out there to see her since, but I don't think it's something Nancy particularly looks forward to!"

What brings Margaret back to the village?
"Margaret arrives back in the village with an agenda - but Nancy doesn't know what that is. Nancy just thinks that Margaret has come back to see her, but it takes her completely off-guard."

What happens next?
"Because of the difficult mother-daughter relationship they've had, Margaret wants Nancy to leave Hollyoaks and move to Canada. That way, she thinks she can mend everything, get Nancy working for an amazing newspaper, and Charlie will have a better upbringing.

"But, of course, Darren is in the picture too. Because Darren is a bit of a loveable fool, Margaret turns her nose up at him and thinks that he's not good enough for Nancy. So she starts trying to split them up."


How does she go about it?
"What Margaret does is quite vindictive, actually! You'll see her try to make Nancy doubt her relationship with Darren. It's underhand and cruel, because she plays on Nancy's insecurities and self-doubt. Margaret starts making Nancy feel very insecure in the relationship, and she also starts to feel quite unsure about her future in Hollyoaks."

Cindy is involved in the situation too…
"Yes, Margaret is secretly trying to push Cindy and Darren together. She's constantly stirring and it's evil! She's stirring that relationship up, and there's some scenes where Nancy and Cindy have to compete over who knows Darren better. Cindy comes out on top, so Margaret's attitude is very much, 'There you go - maybe Cindy and Darren should be together'."

Nancy also sees Darren and Cindy in a compromising embrace, doesn't she?
"She does indeed, and that just fuels the suspicions that Nancy already has. Darren isn't cheating on her, but he has been behaving a bit strangely recently as he's been planning the secret wedding. So Nancy has struggled to pin him down and get hold of him.

"When Nancy sees Darren and Cindy together, it just confirms everything that she thought. To Nancy, it seems that everything her mum is saying is true - that Darren doesn't love her and he has been having an affair."


Does Nancy confront Darren and Cindy?
"Well, I would have expected Nancy to go in there like a bull in a china shop - kicking, screaming, throwing things and ready to rip Cindy's hair off!

"But I think what's really interesting is that, unusually for Nancy, she can't bring herself to do it. She almost goes into shutdown mode, and you see that this relationship has meant more to Nancy than any other. She's deeply, deeply hurt.

"Nancy then starts sneaking around and asking people in the village if they know what's going on. But they think that she's talking about the secret wedding, and their reactions and shifty looks fuel her suspicions even further…"

Can Nancy and Darren get through this?
"I hope so! Myself and Ash have had an awful lot of fun working together, so I'd love to see a 'happily ever after'. Well, as much as it can be happy in soapland!"


Did you ever expect the Nancy and Darren pairing to prove so popular?
"Not at all! I think when we first read that they were putting our characters together, we were surprised but we thought, 'Okay - we'll see how that goes'. It was only ever intended to be quite a short-term thing.

"But then it just seemed to work really well, and they both bring out a really good side in each other's characters. For example, Darren makes Nancy a bit more fun and not quite so uptight, while Nancy brings out a more mature and caring side in Darren. I think that's really fun to see."

If Nancy found out about the secret wedding, would she appreciate the gesture or would she be horrified?
"I think she'd be horrified if I'm perfectly honest, because she is a control freak. Nancy has very definite ideas of what she wants and what she doesn't, and I think for her, half the fun would probably have been in planning the wedding! I don't know if it's Darren's wisest move, but I think Nancy would also see that he has good intentions."

What is Nancy's idea of a dream wedding?
"I think for Nancy, it would be something simple but also quite elegant and a bit vintage, as she likes her vintage style. I think she'd love the complete opposite of Mercedes and Riley's wedding!"

Nancy's fans on our forum are keen to see more of her on the show. Is there a big year ahead storyline-wise?
"It's always hard to judge 100%, but at the moment I've got some really exciting storylines that we're working on. You're going to see a lot more of Nancy this year."


Will we see more of Nancy's friendship with Mitzeee?
"I hope so, because it's such fun! I think the whole girl group worked really well when we did the Hangover episode, and I know we're all really keen to see more of that. But within that group, Nancy and Mitzeee are definitely best friends."

Would you like to see her make friends with any of the newer characters?
"I'd like Nancy and Barney to be friends! I think they'd be really funny together. They're both a bit posh and stiff, but when they've had a few drinks, they get really wild - so I think that could be quite a fun friendship."

How's life at Hollyoaks in general at the moment?
"I think there's a tremendous amount of excitement in the building at the moment. It's a really good sign when all of the actors are running upstairs to check their drawers and see if any new scripts have come out. We can't wait to see what's going to happen next, so there's a great atmosphere at the moment and we're all very excited."

Hollyoaks star Jessica Fox has revealed that her character Nancy Hayton would love to start a family with fiancé Darren Osborne.

The actress, who is currently taking centre stage in the soap's Valentine's storyline, told PA that Nancy believes she has chosen a partner for life.

Fox commented: "Getting married is important to Nancy. For all her wanting to be alternative and different, she really just wants to be loved.

"And it's all going terribly well at the moment. She's moved into the Osbornes' where that's going really well, and she's got this big family that care about her, having had no-one for so long. And she loves Darren to pieces and she really wants to get married, have babies and be happy. I think that's what she really wants."

She added: "I don't know if she wants to be a mother just yet, but she may not have a choice!"

Nancy's current storyline comes to a head in the coming days as she prepares to leave the village for a new life in Canada - devastated as she thinks that Darren has cheated on her.

However, when Nancy finds out that Darren has actually been planning a secret wedding, she must decide whether to go through with the ceremony or not.

Hollyoaks airs weeknights at 6.30pm on Channel 4 with a first look screening at 7pm on E4.

Fans of Hollyoaks couple Darren Osborne and Nancy Hayton were left delighted tonight (February 15) as the pair's secret wedding storyline had a happy ending.

The popular duo seemed set for a shock split earlier this week when Nancy (Jessica Fox) decided to move away to Canada, wrongly suspecting that Darren was cheating on her with Cindy Longford (Stephanie Waring).

However, the latest episode of the teen soap saw Nancy find out the real reason behind Darren's strange behaviour - before tying the knot with him in emotional scenes.

Digital Spy recently caught up with Ashley Taylor Dawson, who plays Darren, for an exclusive reaction chat about the wedding episode and where things go from here.

Are you glad that Darren and Nancy's wedding went ahead?
"I'm really glad. The whole storyline has been beautifully written. I really enjoyed the fact that it wasn't an obvious affair plot - instead it was just a case of Nancy getting things misconstrued.

"It's a real relief for Darren that the wedding has now gone ahead, especially as he has often worried that Nancy is too good for him. Darren was mortified when he realised that Nancy thought he'd been cheating on her with Cindy, as it had just been a massive misunderstanding between them."

Why do you think an unlikely pairing like Darren and Nancy work so well together?
"Well, Darren is a male chauvinistic pig and Nancy is a feminist, so you'd think that everything would be against them being together. But somehow opposites have attracted! I think Darren brings the best out of Nancy, while she brings him back to reality and gives him some organisation in his life - which he's definitely in need of.

"I think the characters work well together and they challenge each other all the time. It's quite comical, even when they're arguing. In many ways, Darren is a typical man and Nancy is a typical woman."


What about Darren and Cindy?
"I think that everything that Darren and Nancy have got in their relationship is quite serious, whereas the Darren and Cindy relationship was just sex, basically! Between those two, it was more of a raw attraction rather than something that would work well in the long-term. At the same time, I thought it was quite sweet that we revisited the Darren and Cindy relationship, because they have been through a lot together.

"But Darren has matured since then. Their recent goodbye scene was a great one to bring a bit of closure to what they had. I think it shows that Darren is strong and he does want to be with Nancy."

Why was it so important to Darren to have the wedding as a surprise?
"I think it was just typical Darren when he gets an idea in his head! He thought that it would be the best way to show Nancy that he loves her, rather than just doing the normal thing.

"Darren could have just surprised Nancy by taking her out for a nice meal, but his thinking is always a bit mental! He thought the gesture would be amazing. But he didn't really think about how much Nancy would have liked to organise things!"

What was it like to film the wedding?
"As you will have seen on screen, we filmed the wedding outside, so I was a bit worried that it would be a long and miserable day with bad weather! Luckily, it ended up being a nice day, although it was a bit windy. I enjoyed it - it was a nice group of people, so it was good fun to shoot."


What has the fan reaction been like to the storyline?
"All of the feedback on Twitter has been lovely. Everyone seems to have really enjoyed the storyline and been caught up in it. I put that down to the writing and our new producer Emma Smithwick, as what she's been doing here has been great.

"I think what we're seeing now is that scenes are having time to breathe. Instead of just having quick little scenes and loads of stories, the viewers are able to invest in the characters more. There's time to empathise with everyone and see every side of the story, rather than just having quick scenes, which can be fun to watch but aren't as engaging."

Will married life change Nancy and Darren?
"I think the only way it will change them is by giving a bit of solidity to their relationship. It proves to both of them how much they mean to each other, so if anything, I think it will make them stronger.

"They both want the marriage and they want to be together, especially after everything they've been through to get to this point. Hopefully married life will help them to build on what they've already got."


Could there be babies in Darren and Nancy's future?
"It's definitely something that they both want, as everything's going well. I think that's another reason why Darren went ahead with the surprise wedding - he's got the pub back, he feels like he's learned all his lessons, and he's come full circle. This time around, Darren doesn't want to mess anything up and wants to get everything right. Now that they're married, having children is something that they'll look at in the future."

In real life, you and your fiancée Karen welcomed the arrival of a baby boy last March. How are you finding fatherhood?
"It's the best thing that's ever happened to me. Every day is amazing as there's something new. He's such a good baby as well - he hardly ever cries, he eats well and sleeps well, so it's like having a little companion buzzing next to you. He's also got the best mum in the world!"

What's next for Darren and Nancy? Can we expect a happy few months on the way for them, or more drama?
"There's a lot of drama on the way and I've thoroughly enjoyed filming it. There's some very exciting stuff coming up, and it's some of the best material that I've had in a long time. I'm loving it."

Hollyoaks star Jessica Fox has revealed that she has recently been filming "emotional" scenes for the soap.

The actress's character Nancy found happiness earlier this month as she tied the knot with partner Darren Osborne (Ashley Taylor Dawson), but more obstacles could be on the way for the pair.

Fox told All About Soap: "There's some really big, emotional stuff coming up. Ashley and I spent the last three weeks of filming crying non-stop.

"Hollyoaks will really explore Darren and Nancy's relationship this year, and I can't wait to see how it all plays out."

In the meantime, Nancy has a big moment ahead next week when she thinks she may be expecting a baby and takes a pregnancy test. However, whether the result will be positive or negative is currently being kept under wraps.

Fox said: "If she were pregnant, it would be hilarious - you'd have Nancy with all these surging hormones, reading books on pregnancy and having Darren running out at 4am to get Chinese food for her!

"It would be great to watch them trying to cope with it."

Hollyoaks airs weeknights at 6.30pm on Channel 4 with a first look screening at 7pm on E4.

Hollyoaks star Jessica Fox has said that the positive response to her character's recent miscarriage storyline was "overwhelming".

Viewers saw Nancy Osborne and husband Darren suffer the sad loss of their unborn child last month, throwing their marriage into turmoil.

Fox told This Morning today (April 26): "It went on for quite a long time when we were shooting - it was three or four weeks of quite intense stuff.

"But I was so excited, because it was some of the best scripts I've ever had. The way that it was written just felt really true, and it wasn't hard to conjure up that emotion."

She added: "[I've had] people stopping me on the street saying, 'You've told my story'. It's been overwhelming."

Ashley Taylor Dawson, who plays Darren, praised the soap's bosses for continuing to explore the story as the couple consider the right time to try for another baby.

He said: "It's very true to life and it's what people go through. It's nice that they're holding onto that and it doesn't just end there. It's an ongoing thing like any relationship, so it's just nice to do it justice. The feedback's been great."

Fox and Dawson are up for the 'Best On-Screen Partnership' prize at this year's British Soap Awards, which take place in London on Saturday (April 28).

Hollyoaks star Ashley Taylor Dawson has revealed that there is a "party" atmosphere on the set of the new-look Dog In The Pond.

The village's pub has been getting a makeover off-screen in recent months, but has its grand re-opening in tonight's (June 15) episode.

Dawson, who plays Darren Osborne, told Inside Soap: "The old set had lots of nooks and crannies, so often people in the background weren't needed for every shot because they'd be out of sight of the camera.

"But now everyone can be seen - there's nowhere to hide - so pub filming days are like one big party. We get excited and everybody messes around. There's usually someone shouting, 'Shut up!' It's mayhem."

Viewers will see Jack Osborne (Jimmy McKenna) become infuriated in the next few days as the Savages take up residence in their new houseboat just outside The Dog.

Dawson added: "[Jack] asks Darren to find out when they'll be moving the boat, but Darren's not all that bothered because Dodger is his mate.

"So Jack tells the Savages that if they don't move their boat, he'll take them to court because they're putting his livelihood at risk. And this is just the beginning of the rivalry between the Osbornes and the Savages."

Hollyoaks airs weeknights at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with a first look screening at 7pm on E4.

There is rumours that there is problems with their baby's health

I really like them as a couple

Hollyoaks airs life-changing episodes for Nancy Osborne next week as she goes into premature labour.

Nancy is busy with her continued support of on-the-run friend Mitzeee Minniver (Rachel Shenton) when she suddenly starts suffering agonising pains and has to be rushed to hospital.

As the anxious Osbornes wait for news, an emergency Caesarean is performed on Nancy and her baby boy is brought into the world - but whether he'll be okay remains to be seen.

We recently caught up with Jessica Fox, who plays Nancy, to hear more about the storyline.

2012 is turning out to be a big year for Nancy. Are you enjoying all of the drama?
"Absolutely! When you're in a soap for a long time, you know that you're going to go through cycles of storylines. You'll be at the forefront of something for a while, and then you might be more of a supporting character with lighter stories.

"But it's really exciting when you know that you've got something big and dramatic coming up - you run up every day and look in the drawer to see if the next script is out. It's brilliant and I'm really lucky that I get to work so closely with both Ashley Taylor Dawson and Rachel Shenton, who I get on really well with."

Over the next few days, we'll see Nancy continuing to support Mitzeee. Does she have any doubts about whether she's doing the right thing?
"None at all! I think Nancy's attitude stems from everything that happened with her sister Becca when she was wrongly accused, sent to prison and ultimately murdered in jail. Because of that, she's really desperate to get this right for Mitzeee - to get her out and take Mercedes down!

"I think the thing with Nancy is that she's a bit like a dog with a bone. If she's decided that she's going to do something, it's very difficult to change her mind. All her focus at the moment is on getting Mitzeee free and clearing her name."

When Nancy and Mitzeee got to know each other in Hollyoaks Later two years ago, did you have any idea their friendship would become so strong?
"I didn't, no! They're such different people on the surface, but deep down Ann Minniver - Mitzeee's alter ego - is very moral, kind and caring and she's a very clever girl. I think those are all things that Nancy responds to and enjoys. Also, I think Mitzeee just makes Nancy laugh. Mitzeee can be a bit silly sometimes, and that makes Nancy smile."

What does Darren think about Nancy's antics?
"He's absolutely furious. Darren can't believe that Nancy is going against the law, is running around and getting stressed - especially while she's heavily pregnant. He urges her to put the baby first, but Nancy thinks he's just being silly and wants him to stop nagging her. Nancy thinks she knows best, as Nancy always does."

What goes through Nancy's mind when she suddenly experiences pains while spending time with Mitzeee?
"Well, she's been feeling slightly off for a couple of days - she's been a bit tired, dizzy and unwell. But she just thinks that's part of the pregnancy and she's got it into her head that now she's had the 20-week scan, everything is going to be fine.

"When Nancy does start getting pains in her stomach, to begin with she just ignores them. But in the end she realises they're getting more and more painful and she'll have to go to hospital. That's when the panic starts to set in."

Did you do any research into premature births?
"Yes, I did research it. Obviously there's a bit of artistic licence that goes into the scripts, to make things more dramatic or to let the story flow better. But I did do a lot of reading about premature birth and premature babies - all the things that can go wrong and all the things that can go right.

"Myself and one of the writers actually had a meeting at the Liverpool Women's Hospital. We spoke to one of the midwives who deals specifically with premature babies, which was really helpful."

Does Darren blame Nancy for putting the baby at risk with all her recent stress?
"He does indeed. Because the situation is so traumatic and scary, he doesn't want to let Nancy know that's how he feels. But being Darren, he can't quite hide it! Nancy is very scared about the baby and doesn't really pick up on the fact that Darren is behaving quite strangely at first."

If everything turns out well, what kind of a mother do you think Nancy will be?
"I imagine that she'll be a bit of a neurotic mother, particularly as the baby has arrived so early. I think she'd want to wrap him up in cotton wool and not let him out of her sight. But we'll have to wait and see what happens."

Would you like the Nancy and Mercedes feud to become a long-running one?
"I'd really like that. I think there's a bit of a bad girl in Nancy that has come out during this storyline. She's got more fire in her belly than maybe we'd realised, and I'd quite like to see her go head-to-head with Mercedes or somebody else.

"I always think Nancy is a bit of a moral compass for the show. She knows what's right and she's often the voice of that. I think that's a really good role for her, and it's quite an important one. I think it's quite good to have a strong, intelligent woman in the show."

On a less serious note, your hair has often changed during your time at Hollyoaks. Would you change it again?
"Absolutely - I just need to decide what I want it to be! That's one of my favourite things about being in a soap for a long time - I do get to change my image a lot.

"I always like to see the reaction, too. When my latest style came out as I'd cut it into a short bob, I got so many tweets from people - some negative, but mostly positive thankfully! When I figure out what I want to do with it next, I'd definitely change it again."

Will Nancy play any role in Esther's bullying story?
"I really hope so. I haven't done as yet, but she is part of Nancy's family in the Osbornes and I hope that they explore that, because they've already had some really lovely scenes together.

"I'd really like it if Esther were to confide in Nancy at some point, and for Nancy to take her seriously. I think whenever Esther has tried to speak out so far, it's been ignored, misconstrued or not taken seriously. I really want Nancy to be part of that, to believe Esther and help her. But I'd really like Esther to punch Maddie again as well!"

No need for a new thread could just be added to the thread for Darren and Nancy that is here already