There are heart-breaking scenes as one of Holloyoaks' most popular characters passes away in an emotionally harrowing storyline....
One of Hollyoaks' most popular characters, Lily McQueen, will die in upsetting scenes next week, after contracting 'killer condition', sepsis.
A vulnerable Lily, played by Lauren McQueen, has fought a long battle with self-harming but when one of her self-inflicted wounds becomes infected she's left fighting for her life before tragically passing away.
Viewers will have previously seen Lily go on the run with her boyfriend, Romeo Quinn (Owen Warner), who has fled Chester fearing he will be arrested for Mac Nightingale's murder.
While the pair of them make their way to the station, Lily's Aunty Diane (Alex Fletcher) has been contacted by psychologist, Farrah Maalik, who breaks the news that Lily's blood tests at the hospital showed she had contracted sepsis through one of her cuts and needs urgent medical attention to stop it spreading to her vital organs.
Meanwhile the episode is interspersed with flashback scenes which show a young Lily with her mum Babs who later became terminally ill and passed away, leaving Lily's Aunty Diane to be her chief carer.
As the action picks up in the present, a frantic Diane is seen desperately trying to locate Lily but sadly it's too late for her niece, who tragically dies from sepsis before being able to board a train with Romeo.
Talking about the heart-breaking scenes, Lauren , who joined Hollyoaks in 2017 as Lily says, “I was honoured to be given such a huge story that carried a lot of responsibility. I hope it will make the audience aware of how serious self-harm is, and make people realise the consequences can be life threatening."
She continues: "Sepsis is actually very common and is something that needs to be treated very quickly. Many people may not know what the symptoms are. I hope it opens up conversations and encourages people to talk and get help if they relate to Lily.”
Hollyoaks researchers worked with the charity UK Sepsis Trust whose CEO, Dr Ron Daniels, says: “It’s been fantastic working with the Hollyoaks team on this storyline that highlights how potentially devastating sepsis can be. Although cases like Lily’s only represent around 10% of incidences of sepsis, the ‘killer condition’ can arise from any infection and strikes indiscriminately, affecting the previously fit and healthy.”
“The key to ending preventable deaths from sepsis is awareness, and we’re so grateful to Hollyoaks for helping to raise the profile of a condition that affects so many and yet is still so poorly recognised. Together we want to encourage everyone, not just professionals to ask, 'could it be sepsis?’ and to change the way sepsis is handled in the UK.”
Since joining the soap two years ago, Lily has been at the centre of some big storylines. Her self-harming began after she was left badly scarred in a car crash and the ensuing special standalone episode won a British Soap Award.
More recently Lily has been involved in a passionate love triangle after falling in love with her best friend Romeo Quinn behind her husband Prince McQueen's back.
Hollyoaks will air the emotional episode on Wednesday 10th April (7pm E4) to Thursday 11th April (Channel 4 6:30pm)
