Hollyoaks has finally explained why Diane Hutchinson’s former stepdaughter Sinead O’Connor has been absent from Diane’s exit story.
Viewers know that actor Alex Fletcher, who plays Diane, recently decided to quit the soap after 16 years, with her emotional exit scenes set to air in the coming months.
In March, Diane went to an emergency hospital appointment because of abdominal pain and received the devastating diagnosis of stage four ovarian cancer.
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In emotional scenes, Diane told her husband Tony that she had been given “about six months” to live, and she was recently told she had even less time than she first thought.
In tonight’s episode, Diane finally explained why her stepdaughter hadn’t returned to the village, explaining that Sinead, who has been living in Mallorca since her departure in 2019, is pregnant and unable to fly.
Knowing time isn’t on her side, Diane told Tony that they needed to tell Eva the truth. “Mummy’s ill,” said Diane. “I’m very ill. And that means that I’m going to die.”
Their youngest daughter tried to comprehend what she had been told and asked if her mum would still be there for her birthday.
Keeping the latest news from the hospital from Tony, but not wanting to lie, Diane told her she would try her best, saying: “I’m going to try. I mean, I can’t promise anything, but I really hope I will be.”
A confused Tony pointed out that Eva’s birthday was in a couple of weeks, saying Diane still had months left to live.
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“Tony, no one knows how long I’ve got left,” Diane explained. “We can’t keep living in denial. I need to tell our Finn and Sinead.”
When Tony questioned if she was going to tell them over the phone, Diane said: “Sinead can’t fly, can she? She’s pregnant.”
Tony suggested they take a family holiday to visit them and make special memories. Diane agreed, but will it be too much for her?
Hollyoaks airs on Mondays-Wednesdays with its Channel 4 streaming premiere at 7am, then an E4 broadcast the same night at 7pm. Full episodes are also released on YouTube a week after their Channel 4 release.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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