Hollyoaks confirms Cleo and Abe future as soap joins with Home Office
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This article contains discussion of coercive control and domestic abuse.
Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks has confirmed the future of Cleo McQueen and Abe Fielding's dark coercive control storyline, with the soap joining forces with the Home Office to raise awareness of the government's Enough campaign.
After Cleo returned to the village in January, she was unexpectedly followed by her new boyfriend, Abe. In the following months, viewers have seen Abe subject Cleo to controlling and gaslighting behaviour, as well as exhibiting jealousy over her past relationship with Joel Dexter.
In next week's scenes, Abe will turn physically violent with Cleo again as he beats her with a bouquet of flowers before later playing down the incident.
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The soap has now confirmed that Cleo and Abe's story will be one of its main plots across 2024, peaking over the summer. Over the coming weeks, Abe will continue to separate Cleo from her family and will also use her past eating disorders as a tool to control her.
Hollyoaks has been working closely with the government to integrate messaging around violence against women into episodes, weaving in elements of the Enough campaign.
Enough aims to tackle abusive behaviour that disproportionately impacts women and girls, focusing on the role that bystanders can play in safely challenging abuse when they suspect it.
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The soap's partnership will shine a light on the harmful behaviours that can occur within controlling relationships and demonstrate the impact of violence on victims.
Home Secretary James Cleverly, said: "Tackling violence against women and girls is a real priority for me.
"We know that controlling and coercive relationships can have a lasting and severe impact on victims. That's why we made it a specific criminal offence and are making sure those convicted are monitored by the police in the same way as physically violent offenders.
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"By partnering with Hollyoaks, we're raising awareness of how to recognise these behaviours as well as empowering the public to call out abuse when they see it and safely intervene when appropriate."
The partnership will first be brought to life on screen later this week and will be highlighted again in early July.
Hollyoaks is also creating digital activity for its social platforms as part of the campaign, with cast members set to share content on their own socials.
Actor Nadine Mulkerrin, who plays Cleo, spoke exclusively to Digital Spy earlier this year about the plot, saying that her character's relationship with Abe "is really quite worrying".
"We've got lots of red flags happening. This is the classic tropes of sort of an abusive relationship – it doesn't have to be obvious, it can be controlling and coercive control," she said. "So yes, I think she is in danger and my advice would be to get out of there."
Hollyoaks streams first online via Channel 4 each weekday at 7.30pm. Episodes then air on E4 the following day, before getting their YouTube premiere a week after that.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage
You can find further help and support on the #ENOUGH Campaign website.
Organisations including Women's Aid can provide further support and information on coercive control or coercive behaviour.
If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, organisations including Refuge (www.refuge.org.uk) and Women's Aid (www.womensaid.org.uk) can provide further support and information. The 24-hour, freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247. The US National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or text LOVEIS to 22522.
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