Tag Archives: Hollyoaks

30 October 2025

Hollyoaks work with APP for new issue-based storyline involving Cleo McQueen

Hollyoaks will explore Postpartum Psychosis (PP) when Cleo McQueen, played by Nadine Mulkerrin, struggles with her mental health following a traumatic birth with her first child, Joseph.

APP colleagues and storytellers have advised on the Hollyoaks storyline which will hit the screens this week.

Cleo went into early labour at 28 weeks pregnant and, assisted by Dodger (Danny Mac), was rushed to hospital. After giving birth, Cleo haemorrhaged and required emergency medical attention.

Baby Joseph needs to stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit due to being premature. Cleo, who fell ill after childbirth, is later given the green light by doctors o go home. Red flags start to appear when, at first, she doesn't believe her baby is hers.

This quickly progresses when Cleo starts losing track of time and feels guilty for struggling to produce milk. Cleo’s girlfriend Sienna Blake (Anna Passey) moves into the McQueens house to help support the new mum.

The storyline follows Cleo and her support system - Sienna, Dodger, and her McQueen family – as they convince her to seek help when they start noticing her concerning behaviour.

Cleo will be treated in a general psychiatric ward – she’s not able to go to a Mother and Baby Unit due to Joseph being in the NICU unit.

For this issue-based storyline, Hollyoaks worked with APP colleagues and storytellers, consulting with the cast members involved and advising on the storytelling process.

Nadine Mulkerrin, who plays Cleo McQueen, has said “It’s been a new challenge taking on the role of motherhood and the difficulties that being a new mum can bring, especially the strain it can have on your mental health. We had a consultation with APP [Action on Postpartum Psychosis] whilst filming this storyline, and it was helpful to hear other people’s experiences - my heart breaks for poor Cleo.”

Dr Jess Heron, CEO, Action on Postpartum Psychosis said “Responsible portrayals of PP on popular TV shows such as Hollyoaks are invaluable. With greater public awareness, partners, friends, family members and frontline health professionals will be more able to quickly spot the signs and seek specialist emergency help as soon as possible. We’re grateful to Hollyoaks for playing a part in awareness raising and for their diligent approach to producing a sensitive and accurate storyline.”

Hollyoaks is now available to stream from 7am Monday to Wednesday on Channel 4 or watch live on E4 at 7pm.

26 February 2021

Q and A with Hollyoaks’ Jessamy Stoddart

We chatted to Jessamy Stoddart who plays Liberty in Hollyoaks to reflect on what she’s learnt about postpartum psychosis (PP), and how APP helped Jessamy create an authentic and powerful performance of a woman experiencing PP.

First of all, for any readers who haven’t seen Hollyoaks, can you tell us a bit about Liberty’s storyline?

So... Liberty was carrying a baby for her sister. The birth was sudden and traumatic, and she lost a lot of blood. After this, during her physical recovery she started hallucinating and confiding in a nurse that wasn’t actually there. From this point on, it was clear she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, however it went unnoticed for quite some time. She has now received help and is very much on the mend.

When the Hollyoaks team first discussed PP with you, what, if anything, did you know about the illness and how did you feel about the storyline?

Being completely truthful, I had never come across postpartum psychosis before. Like many, I knew of people who had experienced postnatal depression, but psychosis was completely new to me. When researching I was shocked at the effects PP had on the mothers and those around them. I was honoured to tackle such an important storyline.

You took part in a Zoom session with staff and women with experience of PP. How did this support you in developing your portrayal?

This Zoom call was invaluable to my process. Hearing stories first hand, as well as talking to partners and health care professionals gave me such great insight. It also gave me a comfort blanket, knowing if I had any questions I could always speak to someone from the charity.

 

 

 

 


Did you learn anything new from speaking directly with women who have experienced PP? How did it add to the research that you did for the role?

Absolutely. It was so great to speak to incredible women who have come out the other side, who could really give me insight into what was going through their mind at the time. I had watched many documentaries but this really added to the research from a recovery perspective. It was amazing to speak to healthcare professionals too, to see what they would consider were the physical attributes of those who are suffering - I put a lot of this physicality into my character. I also found speaking to the partners of those going through PP so very interesting. They are smack bang in the middle of the symptoms often before it’s been diagnosed. So it’s a very traumatic experience for them – something that I’d never really considered.

Why do you think it’s important for soaps to tackle storylines like this?

Knowledge is power. If tackling this storyline helps even one person to recognise the symptoms early on, then we’ve done our job!

Finally, what’s next for Liberty?

Recovery and getting her ‘sparkle’ back! I’d also love to finish by saying a huge thank you to everyone at APP. The work you do is truly incredible!

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