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Cher Winters

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Cher Winters
Cher Winters.jpg
Hollyoaks character
Portrayed byBethannie Hare
Duration2020–present
First appearanceEpisode 5415
1 June 2020 (2020-06-01)
Introduced byBryan Kirkwood
ClassificationPresent; regular
Profile
Other namesCher McQueen
OccupationBarmaid
HomeThe Dog in the Pond

Cher McQueen (also Winters) is a fictional character from the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Bethannie Hare. Cher is introduced as the estranged daughter of Sylver McQueen (David Tag) and is welcomed into the established McQueen family unit. Hare described her character as someone with attitude and strong family values, likening Cher to other McQueens on the soap. Portraying the role of Cher is Hare's first professional acting role and she admitted that she was initially nervous to join the cast of Hollyoaks, but accredited her co-stars with easing her nerves. She made her debut appearance as Cher on 1 June 2020. Her storylines in the series have included the revelation that she killed her younger sister, her tumultuous relationship with stepmother Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe), her romantic relationship with Romeo Nightingale (Owen Warner) and a suicide attempt due to feeling isolated from everyone.

Cher is introduced as having a secret, which is later revealed to be her accidentally having killed her half-sister Liza. Hare expressed shock at the secret but felt that knowing more about Cher's backstory allowed her to feel connected to her character. After Mercedes exposes Cher's secret to everybody in the village, Cher begins taking revenge on her in a long-running storyline that sees her "embrace her dark side".[1] Some of her actions include framing Mercedes for taking drugs, pouring baby oil on the floor for her to trip over, leaking a sex tape she features, sending her anonymous online hate comments, tricking her into believing she is pregnant and framing her for kidnap. Stephen Patterson of the Metro felt that Cher "made one heck of an entrance" and she was subsequently nominated for Best Newcomer at the I Talk Telly Awards.[2] Patterson described Cher as cruel following her actions to Mercedes, but praised both Hare and the character following Cher's suicide attempt. Hare has defended her character, stating that she is not evil and is instead lonely.

Casting[]

The character and Bethannie Hare's casting details were announced on 12 April 2020.[3] Hare was with her mother when she learned that she had received the part, and exclaimed aloud: "oh my God I've got a part in Hollyoaks!"[4] She admitted that she was nervous to join Hollyoaks, but the support from the cast members helped to ease her nerves. She described the cast as a family and stated that she learns new things from her co-stars daily.[5] In a video for the Hollyoaks social media channels, Hare stated that the response to her casting announcement was positive, which made her excited to film upcoming storylines. Prior to her arrival, there was a scene that implies that Sylver had only had sex with Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe). This led viewers to assume that Cher could be Mercedes' daughter. Justin Harp of Digital Spy explained that Sylver also had sex with a prison guard and that she is Cher's mother.[6] A month into Hare's time on the soap, filming was suspended due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television.[7] In an interview with Duncan Lindsay for the Metro newsletter, she stated that she feels lucky to have secured the role of Cher, particularly due to the impact of the pandemic.[4]

Development[]

Characterisation[]

Cher is introduced as the long-lost daughter of Sylver McQueen (David Tag). Chris Edwards from Digital Spy stated that Cher is an aspiring hairdresser and beautician and that her arrival would bring fun and energy into the fictional village. He billed her as a fun and energetic character with strong family values. Edwards also confirmed that Cher's motive for moving to the village was to find out more about her father, since the only piece of information she knows prior to meeting him is that he is a convicted murderer.[3] On her character, Hare stated that Cher has an attitude, but is also caring, family-orientated and that she will always be there for somebody if they need her, comparing her to the other McQueen family members, a family she was excited to join.[5]

James Sutton, who portrays John Paul McQueen, described Cher as gobby, confident and outgoing. He stated that she "even dresses like a McQueen", and likened her to Mercedes.[7] Tag expressed his joy at the creation of Cher, as it could add longevity to his own character. He described Cher as "beautiful, ballsy, bolshy and a bit of a diva", labelling her a "classic McQueen" and joking that he would not want to get on the wrong side of Cher. He added that there is depth to the character, since "there is a vulnerability" inside of her.[8]

Introduction and secret[]

Cher arrives in Hollyoaks village to find her biological father, Sylver. She crashes his vow renewal with wife Mercedes and blurts out in front of the guests that she is Sylver's daughter. He initially does not believe Cher and agrees to pay her to leave.[9] Cher's mother Kelly (Jenny Wickham) later arrives and disowns her, leaving her in the care of Sylver and Mercedes. Kelly implies that Cher is harbouring a secret that led to the breakdown of their relationship.[2] Speaking to Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy about the secret, Hare stated that despite Cher's sassy attitude, she keeps a lot to herself and keeps a front up, and noted that she especially does it with Sylver and love interest Romeo Nightingale (Owen Warner). She said that Cher is holding onto the secret in fear that if people discover the truth, they may dislike her. Hare did not reveal what the secret was but hinted that it may be revealed in forthcoming scenes, which would cause people to treat Cher differently.[10] Hare added that the secret is always in the back of Cher's mind, making her feel unsafe and as though she cannot form close relationships with others.[11] When asked if she knew of the long-term plans for her character, Hare replied that she knows a little bit, but that she discovers the majority of character information in each script she receives. She added that she was nervous but excited for her storylines, stating: "I just want to make sure I do a good job for all the viewers and everyone at Hollyoaks".[10]

In scenes aired in October 2020, it was revealed that Cher had accidentally killed her half-sister Liza prior to her arrival in the village. Hare was shocked to discover her secret but found that the tragedy of her backstory allowed her to feel connected to her character, feeling lucky to be involved in the storyline. Hare confirmed that Cher killing Liza was an accident and hoped that the viewers would sympathise with Cher.[12] The McQueen family are blackmailed and the anonymous blackmailer threatens to reveal Cher's secret to the village if they do not pay a large sum of money.[13] Not wanting to pay the money, Mercedes reveals the secret herself. Mercedes' actions leave Cher in "utter shock" and she "totally loses it".[14] The reveal of her secret leaves Cher distraught and leads her to turn to alcohol, with Hare stating that Cher spends all day and night drinking.[14] The actress explained that Cher does not drink in a self pitying way, but that she "feels like she deserves to be damaged and deserves to pay for everything that has happened".[15] When Cher is in a vulnerable state, she comes into contact with Silas Blissett (Jeff Rawle), the blackmailer. Since Cher does not know who Silas is, Hare states that she does not know the amount of danger she's in.[14] Hare admitted that due to her age and not regularly watching Hollyoaks during his tenure, she was not aware of Silas and who he was. To prepare for filming the scenes, she watched old footage, which she found chilling. She expressed her excitement at being able to work with Rawle, since she recognised him from the Harry Potter film series. She stated that since Silas hates young women being "scantily clad and drinking heavily", Cher will be on his radar.[15]

Relationship with Romeo Nightingale[]

Prior to her arrival, Tag hinted that Cher may form a romantic relationship with Romeo. He stated that Cher "catches the eye of local lad Romeo" and joked that Romeo should watch out due to Sylver being protective of his daughter.[8] Upon her arrival, she flirts with Romeo to gain access to her estranged father's wedding reception.[9] After the pair continue to interact, Goldie McQueen (Chelsee Healey) and Joel Dexter (Rory Douglas-Speed) set the pair up on a date. However, Cher treats him as a friend, which leaves him feeling secretly disappointed. Hare told Kilkelly that the pair like each other, but that they are too stubborn to admit it. She explained that Cher is embarrassed when Goldie tries to ask her about her romantic feelings, since she is her adoptive aunt, and hence does not want to tell her how she feels about Romeo. Hare went on to say that her character wants to play hard to get because she " loves the chase".[16] Cher does not want to let Romeo in since she is worried that he will discover she killed Liza. Despite this, Hare opined that they are a good match. She commented: "You've got Romeo with his poetry and then Cher loves her magazines! They'd work well together, even though they're complete opposites".[16] She said that due to having a similar upbringing, this similarity could bring them together[4] and added that she enjoys working with Warner.[16] The pair plan an illegal rave together, and Hare hinted that the outcome of the event would be that it might be what they need to finally bring them together.[12] After Romeo reveals to Mercedes and Sylver that she took their credit card, she lashes out at him, comparing his lack of support to the death of his ex-girlfriend Lily McQueen (Lauren McQueen). She then attempts to apologise, but Mercedes suggests that she should win Romeo back through "the power of seduction".[17] However, Romeo becomes unsure about their relationship as he begins to develop feelings for someone else.[17] This person is revealed to be Mercedes, who he has sex with. Hare said that when the secret comes out, Cher realises she has lost the person she loves most to the person she is most jealous of, which makes her feel "as if she'll never be good enough".[18]

Targeting Mercedes McQueen and online trolling[]

Woman with brunette hair looking backwards towards the camera, wearing a black dress
Jennifer Metcalfe portrays Mercedes McQueen, Cher's stepmother and rival.

After Mercedes announces that Cher killed her half-sister, tension begins to rise between the pair.[19] Hare stated that viewers should not underestimate Cher and that a tougher side to her will emerge, which she felt would surprise viewers. Hare expressed her joy at Cher's personality being explored, since she felt it made her role more exciting to play. She also hinted that Cher has a "journey to go on".[15] A revenge plot was later announced, in which Cher has "fully embraced her dark side".[1]

After Mercedes takes the attention away from Cher's birthday, Hare states that Cher is upset because it is the first birthday she has been able to spend with Sylver. She states that Cher wants to spend her day with Sylver and does not care about anyone else being there. When he leaves to be with Mercedes, she describes it as "a punch in the face" for Cher and it makes her realise that Mercedes will always come first to him.[20] After she learns that Mercedes is a recovering drug addict, Cher sources cocaine from a friend of Oliver Morgan's (Gabriel Clark) and plants it in Mercedes' bag to destroy her relationship with Sylver.[21] When Mercedes discovers that Cher planted the drugs in her bag, she excuses it since she feels bad for ruining her birthday party. Mercedes states that it is not as bad as physically hurting her, but warns Cher that if she strikes again, she will not be as understanding. Sylver arranges another party for Cher, which "much to Cher's fury", Mercedes also becomes the centre of attention at.[22] This leaves her furious with her stepmother, "driving her to do something so reckless that it puts [Mercedes] in serious danger".[19] Cher pours baby oil across the floor which Mercedes slips over, as Cher is "watching in the wings with a gleeful smile".[22] She then takes the credit card belonging to Mercedes' pub and goes shopping with it.[17]

Cher continues her revenge plan by burning Mercedes with a pair of hair straighteners and purposely leaking a video of Mercedes having sex. Hare doubted that Cher had planned to burn her with the straighteners and that it instead happened in a "moment of explosion". She stated: "She's young, she's 19, she's gone through a lot and all of this has been building."[23] Despite her behaviour, Hare stated that she does not view Cher as a villain. She admitted that Cher's actions are not right, but felt that there are reasons behind her behaviour. Cher feels betrayed by Mercedes revealing her secret regarding Liza and has not been able to look at Mercedes the same way since. Cher also wants to form a close bond with Sylver, but since Mercedes gets in the way, Cher wants her gone. Hare was asked by Kilkelly (Digital Spy) if Cher harboured the potential to kill Mercedes, drawing on her experience with killing Liza. She replied that she does not see Cher as a killer, due to being a family-focused person. Although she stated Cher has a vendetta against her, Hare did not think she was capable of killing her.[23]

Woman with blonde hair smiling for the camera, wearing a pink fluffy dress
Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell) eventually exposes Cher's actions.

After trolling Mercedes online, Cher makes an anti-trolling video to appear supportive of her. However, her post leads real trolls to target Cher instead. She then makes another video to address the hate she is receiving. The producers of Hollyoaks confirmed that these scenes had formed the start of a "trolling ordeal" for Cher.[24] Mercedes attempts to comfort Cher and put the trolling to a stop with an online post, but she unknowingly makes it worse for Cher, with online trolls comparing their appearances in favour of Mercedes'.[25] In retaliation to her being trolled even more, Cher commits her "most vile act yet".[26] She orders numerous baby products in Mercedes' name after learning that Mercedes suffered from a stillbirth years ago, then persuades Sylver to make Mercedes a cot. Cher spies an opportunity for revenge and performs "her most twisted act to date" by dressing up as Mercedes and destroying the cot on camera.[26]

Cher's online comments repeatedly mention a birthmark on her body, which leads her to feel insecure. She sources bleaching cream and applies it to the birthmark, which she has an adverse reaction to. Romeo pleads with nurse Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell) to get Cher medication for the burns, who agrees due to dating his sister Juliet (Niamh Blackshaw). In her final act of vengeance against Mercedes, Cher kidnaps a newborn Eva Hutchinson and plants her with Mercedes. Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell) discovers what she has done and threatens to expose her, but Cher insists that she will expose Peri for getting medication if she does.[27] Mercedes checks herself into a rehabilitation centre due to believing she is mentally unwell, but upon her release, Peri accidentally exposes Cher to her. On the secret coming out, Hare told Inside Soap that it is the worst moment of Cher's life since she fears she could lose her newly found family. The reason for all of her actions is wanting to be close to Sylver and she becomes petrified by the thought of losing him due to a plan she never intended to become so dark. Mercedes confronts her, but after realising that all of Cher's actions stem from not having a family growing up, she agrees to forgive Cher.[18]

Suicide attempt[]

In September 2021, Hollyoaks announced that Cher would be the focus of an issue-based storyline involving a suicide attempt. Metro described the scenes as Cher hitting "rock bottom".[28] After being rejected by both Sylver and Romeo for her actions, she tries to flirt with Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) as an attempt for attention. He rejects her and she runs away in the rain; she posts a status online stating that she wishes she had somebody to talk to. Bobby Costello (Jayden Fox) sees the post and shows Sylver, who rushes to find Cher. He sees her standing over the local dock, but before Sylver can reach her, Cher jumps in. She is admitted to hospital where Sylver leaves her; doctor Misbah Maalik (Harvey Virdi) gets her to accept help.[29]

Reception[]

Stephen Patterson of the Metro wrote that Cher's introduction on the series was a "proper McQueen welcome"[9] and that she had "made one heck of an entrance".[2] For her portrayal of Cher, Hare was nominated for Best Soap Newcomer at the 2020 I Talk Telly Awards.[30] On Cher's secret being revealed, Hare anticipated that the audience would start to hate Cher for being a killer, but stated that the reaction has been nice. She expressed her gratitude that people can see that Cher did not intend to murder Liza and was thankful that "the guilt is coming across" to the viewers.[4] After Cher's actions to Mercedes, she was described as "cruel" by Patterson.[31] Eden-Olivia Lord, writing for Closer, was grateful when "Cher's evil ways" were exposed to Mercedes.[32] Patterson described Cher's suicide attempt as "emotional"[28] and branded Hare's performance as "superb" for her part in the storyline.[33]

See also[]

References[]

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  2. ^ a b c Patterson, Stephen (2 June 2020). "Hollyoaks spoilers: What is Cher McQueen's secret as her mum disowns her?". Metro. DMG Media. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b Chris, Edwards (12 April 2020). "Hollyoaks reveals secret daughter twist for Sylver McQueen". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Lindsay, Duncan (6 November 2020). "The Soaps Newsletter". Metro (Mailing list). Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  5. ^ a b Lindsay, Duncan (12 April 2020). "Cher has been cast in Hollyoaks to confront a killer – yeah, you heard". Metro. DMG Media. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  6. ^ Harp, Justin (14 April 2020). "Hollyoaks newcomer Bethany Hare responds to fan confusion over Sylver McQueen's daughter". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
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  8. ^ a b Hughes, Johnathan (29 May 2020). "Hollyoaks' David Tag warns that "Being a dad could bring out Sylver's angry side"". Radio Times. Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
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  11. ^ West, Amy (25 November 2020). "Hollyoaks star Bethannie Hare reveals devastation for Cher as her secret is exposed". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 21 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  12. ^ a b Seddon, Dan. "Hollyoaks star Bethannie Hare "shocked" by Cher Winters' killer secret". Digital Spy (4 November 2020). Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
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  17. ^ a b c Kilkelly, Daniel (16 February 2021). "Hollyoaks lines up surprise new love interest for Romeo Nightingale". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 21 February 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  18. ^ a b Alexander, Susannah (25 July 2021). "Hollyoaks star Bethannie Hare teases Cher's future as she's finally caught out". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  19. ^ a b Harp, Justin (9 February 2021). "Hollyoaks' Cher Winters endangers Mercedes McQueen as she turns nasty". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  20. ^ Lovejoy, Hannah (13 February 2021). "Hollyoaks star Bethannie Hare teases darker side to Cher Winters". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  21. ^ Patterson, Stephen (16 February 2021). "Hollyoaks spoilers: Cher Winters plants drugs on Mercedes McQueen to destroy her in cruel revenge twist". Metro. DMG Media. Archived from the original on 22 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
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  29. ^ Harp, Justin (21 September 2021). "Hollyoaks' Cher McQueen gets help after trying to take her own life". Digital Spy. (Hearst Magazines UK). Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  30. ^ Gonzalez, Elliot (28 November 2020). "I TALK TELLY AWARDS 2020 Nominees". I Talk Telly. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
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  32. ^ Lord, Eden-Olivia (20 July 2021). "Hollyoaks: Mercedes McQueen FINALLY discovers Cher's evil ways". Closer. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  33. ^ Patterson, Stephen [@mr_sjpatterson] (21 September 2021). "Tonight's #Hollyoaks is such an important one. Watched it again today for work and had to stop just to take a moment. So emotional. Superb performance from @bethanniehare" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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