Hollyoaks fans have doubtless been worrying about Holly’s welfare in her relationship with Nick Savage.
They know that there is something ‘off’ with Nick after he had sex with Ellie Nightingale when she was too drunk to agree to it.
And his attitude to consent has come under the spotlight again – after he slept with girlfriend Holly when she had not approved it.
In the first-look episode aired on E4 on Friday – which will be shown on Channel 4 this coming Monday – Nick raged when he discovered that Zack Loveday had shared a drunken kiss with Holly.
His mood spilled over as the couple returned home – even though Holly had just recently forgiven him for a full-on affair with Tegan.
Then, his controlling side reared its ugly head again as Nick told Holly they should put the troubles behind them – before putting the physical moves on her.
It was obvious that Holly was uncomfortable and didn’t want to be intimate, but he pushed on regardless.
Afterwards, he was ‘normal’ with her, but Holly knew what just took place was anything but normal for a supposedly loving boyfriend.
Confused, she confided in Ellie, who urged her to report it.
‘She encourages her to speak to the police, but Holly is not ready for that as she still doesn’t quite understand what has happened. With Ellie’s help she ends up telling her mum which also helps her come to terms with it,” reveals Amanda Clapham.
“Holly is just in a dilemma really; she doesn’t know whether to take Ellie’s advice and risk being in the same situation as Ellie where no one believes her, or just to keep quiet.”
Amanda adds: ‘I think this storyline is really important for Hollyoaks to portray because there will be many viewers that have found themselves in similar situations and not known what to think or who to turn to.”