Hollyoaks' Maxine flees Patrick... and the UK?

Hollyoaks' Maxine Minniver finally looks happy after breaking free at last from her abusive relationship with Patrick Blake.

Maxine (Nikki Sanderson) sneaks away from the village on the eve of her wedding with the help of friends Dennis Savage (Joe Tracini) and Blessing Chambers (Modupe Adeyeye) and plans to flee Hollyoaks forever.

Maxine has been trapped in the violent relationship with teacher Patrick (Jeremy Sheffield) for a year, and viewers have seen her transform from a confident, bubbly fun-loving girl, to a withdrawn and terrified victim.

But with the fear of Patrick a weight off her shoulders, she finally looks happy and carefree again as she arrives at the airport to make her escape to America.

However, previous images have shown that Maxine - who is pregnant with the baby of Patrick's son Dodger - does end up walking up the aisle at the church on her wedding day, so fans will be wondering what could possibly make her go back to Patrick.

And will she actually say 'I do'?

Maxine's airport scenes screen tonight (July 28) at 7pm on E4 and tomorrow (July 29) at 6.30pm on Channel 4.

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.