This article contains discussion of suicide.
It is a storyline that is leaving Hollyoaks fans aching, as bullied teenager Ro’s bullying ordeal drives him to a suicide attempt.
We have followed Ro (Ava Webster) on an emotionally impactful journey since he came out as trans at the age of 12 to his parents Diane and Tony Hutchinson (Alex Fletcher and Nick Pickard), an arc that cast members Ava and Alex agreed was important for the show to take its time with and explore the various themes with from prejudice and lack of understanding through to love and acceptance.
I recently sat down with the stars to discuss the next stage of Ro’s story, which sees him contemplate taking his own life due to the horrendous campaign of abuse from Arlo.
The trauma is far from over but there could be some hope as Ro makes a call to a trans support helpline in a desperate plea for help in his lonely and seemingly helpless bubble.
‘It’s a build-up of all those things that are happening – the bullying, divorce and juvie,’ Ava told Metro in her first interview. ‘It’s all those things together and Ro gets in a really bad place because of it.’
She was instantly on board with the intense but powerful upcoming episode. Speaking to me between takes and tutoring for school studies, the extremely busy teenager said: ‘When I read it I was like, “Wow.” I read everything in one go. I was imagining it as I was reading and thinking this is going to be amazing, for the trans community and in general.
Addressing a light at the end of the tunnel, she added: ‘A few people have said that what Ro really needs is a community and he’s getting that now.
‘He’s getting a sense of his people. He now knows about these support groups and he’s got all these other people he can connect with. I do think it’s going to be very helpful.’
Ultimately, the call will trigger the beginnings of a turning point for Ro, though Ava insists there’s still a long way to go.
However, both she and on-screen mum Alex, will relish some more upbeat scenes.
‘I was in a scene yesterday with a new character, Matt, who is in a group that Diane is encouraging Ro to go to,’Alex explained. ‘He’s a breath of fresh air.
‘They had a lovely scene together and they were laughing their heads off and it was so nice to see the character of Ro smile. We loved it, we were buzzing off that. It just felt good.’
What was really infectious and apparent during our interview was just how much love and respect Alex has for Ava and indeed the young cast as a whole.
She enthused: ‘Ava’s so mature and she’s got her family and her mum and dad and loads of support, but I always try and check in with her.
‘I know when I’m tired and doing all these heavy scenes, but she’s also got her tuition and being a teenager as well and it’s a lot. But she takes it all in her stride. It’s quite grounding, that.
‘It’s quite nice to be around, because I think, “She’s smashing it, she can do it and she’s got her tuition and school.” It’s just nice. And it’s not gone to her head, which is good.
‘It’s nice for me to see the next generation of talent coming through and really working hard, actually. That’s what I’ve noticed with the kids – they’re grafters and make sure they get it right.
‘I’ve watched Ava get all her hair cut off and that’s not easy, especially when you’re a teenager, but she’s committed to it. You see the kids so invested in it and you invest more yourself.’
And Alex has plenty of that to get her teeth into. From battles with alcoholism to the breakdown of her relationship with Tony, she has had a lot going on.
So how will she cope when she realises the place Ro has found himself in?
‘I don’t think she realises it’s a crisis point,’ the ex-Brookside actress sighed. ‘But at the minute I don’t think Diane knows any different. I don’t think she’d be able to function if there wasn’t so much drama going on.
‘It’s kind of the only thing she’s got to live for at the minute, she’s thriving on the negativity. I know that sounds a bit dark, but I think that’s where she’s at. It’s not healthy at all. She’s not realising that her kid, Ro, is going under fast.
‘It’s dead sad because they lose their home and everything, she’s lost her husband. The stuff we’ve got coming up is horrible. But we do try and have a laugh between takes because you’ve got to, haven’t you? Because fundamentally we’re only pretending and we have to remember that.’
All is not necessarily lost though, as she added: ‘I feel like this cry for Diane will hopefully fix everything. We’re going to show Ro contacting the helpline and for things to get that bad is almost a good thing.’
Fans will certainly be behind this idea, given how popular both Ro and Ava are with the audience.
It clearly means a lot to the youngster. With a smile, she addressed the responses she gets with love: ‘I see some of the comments and some of the edits people do and I think it’s really cute and I’m really happy that it resonates and Ro’s actually helping people.
‘We had someone say to us, “Ro’s helped me discover who I am.” That was really nice and cute.’
It’s evident that this next stage of the journey with this cry for help will be another step in a story that continues to have an impact far beyond even the cast can imagine.
