Hollyoaks reveals outcome of Frankie’s story – as second sibling abuse ordeal is confirmed
Trigger warning: This article contains discussion of child sexual abuse.
The truth about Frankie Osborne’s (Isabelle Smith) abuse at the hands of twin brother JJ (Ryan Mulvey) is exposed in Hollyoaks later this week, with the aftermath of the revelation set to send shockwaves.
JJ, as viewers know, has been sexually abusing Frankie for months, with the Channel 4 soap tackling a storyline that explores the common but under-recognised form of child sibling sexual abuse.
The abuse first came to light in March when JJ snuck into Frankie’s room at 17 Basswood Road and berated her for failing to celebrate him getting signed to the under 18s football team.
Distressed by his presence, Frankie promised to celebrate later but JJ insisted on ‘celebrating’ how ‘they used to’ by ‘playing school discos’, as he closed the gap between he and his sibling.
Frankie was utterly devastated, with subsequent scenes confirming that she had been suffering abuse at her twin brother’s hands since she was just nine years old.
The teen suffered in silence for months, having been groomed by twisted JJ into keeping quiet, which led to her self-harming, in addition to her seeking solace in alcohol, which resulted in a number of trips to the hospital.
JJ vowed to stop the abuse if she refrained from self-harming but, much like he’s done for years, he lied. In upsetting scenes, he later raped Frankie.
Frankie subsequently stood up to the abuser when she was accepted into dance school in London, but a showdown ensued, with JJ attacking her with his football boots, which ultimately led to her losing consciousness at the top of the stairs, an incident which Nancy (Jessica Fox) got the blame for.
Nancy, who was forced to move out of her home, is due to appear in court this week and thus Darren makes it his mission to get to the bottom of what’s going on with Frankie and why she’s lying about Nancy’s role in her hospitalisation.
On the day that JJ gets signed to United, Frankie is relieved, feeling that – with dance school not far off and JJ getting what he wants in a footballing career – she can finally escape him.
But things take a terrifying turn.
‘The whole day at the football ground is very overwhelming for Frankie, she feels completely out of her comfort zone and alienated from the whole family,’ said actress Isabelle Smith of the upcoming scenes.
‘When she takes herself off for what she thinks will be a moment of peace, JJ enters the changing room and wants to engage in ‘school discos’ as a celebration of his achievements.
‘Frankie locks herself in the bathroom as she cries for help. JJ proceeds to bang down the door and this is first time she has seen this level of violence and determination to hurt her, so I definitely feel this is the turning point in the storyline when Frankie sees no end to her abuse.’
Darren, meanwhile, knows that there is more to Frankie’s upset than meets the eye and, following the incident in the bathroom – coupled with the fact that she was quite clearly distressed in her brother’s presence – he spends time with her at The Dog, while the rest of the clan congregate upstairs to celebrate JJ.
‘Darren tells her that he loves her,’ revealed Isabelle. ‘It has been such a long time since Frankie has felt genuine love, especially from a male family member, that she immediately breaks down and feels brave enough to tell him that JJ has been sexually abusing her.’
Darren is left reeling. ‘I don’t think Darren can comprehend the actual reality of what Frankie tells him,’ said actor Ashley Taylor Dawson. ‘I think all the clues have sort of been there.
‘It’s the reality and the realisation of the last six months, what’s been happening, Frankie’s drinking, her lashing out, the behaviour because all the way along this storyline it’s been like she is the problem child.
‘I think when she tells him why she has been acting the way she has, all that falls into place, so it hits very, very hard. It’s a strange one because in some ways there’s some relief because finally they have the reason and he can be there for her now, but obviously the pain and the reality of what’s actually going on is just unimaginable and I don’t think anyone would have the tools to deal with that. It’s a process and it hits him very hard.’
Despite his ability to comprehend the situation, Darren completely and unequivocally believes his daughter. In emotional scenes, helmed by absolutely incredible performances from Isabelle and Ashley, Darren vows to be there for Frankie every step of the way.
Frankie, however, doesn’t want anyone to know, which Isabelle reveals is ‘very common’ with survivors of sibling sexual abuse. ‘In Frankie’s case, she feels like everyone will think she’s “weird, dirty and disgusting” and is embarrassed for people to know what JJ has been doing to her.
‘She also still does feel love towards her brother and so doesn’t want him to get into any trouble.’
Despite Frankie’s wishes, Darren confronts cocky JJ, who realises very quickly that the game is up where his dad is concerned.
‘When JJ is confronted by Darren he is absolutely dumbstruck as since day one his relationship with Darren has been immaculate and they have bonded greatly over the past few months,’ revealed JJ star Ryan Mulvey.
‘I believe JJ is torn on whether he’ll be able to survive the situation as he has never witnessed Darren so enraged especially with him. He is scared and upset about the idea of his father being disgusted and losing love for him.’
Ashley added that Darren would immediately ‘turn to violence’ if anyone else was to blame but he’s struggles to do so given that it’s his son. Instead, he tries to get him to confess.
One thing leads to another and a family showdown ensues, with Suzanne Ashworth (Suzanne Hall) finding out the truth. To Frankie and Darren’s horror, Suzanne refuses to believe that her beloved JJ would be capable of such a thing.
Star Suzanne Hall admits that the news is ‘extremely difficult’ for her on-screen alter-ego. ‘She’s totally devastated by this revelation… and lashes out believing that Frankie is lying again.’
Frankie, meanwhile, is devastated that her mum doesn’t believe her. ‘Not being believed is Frankie’s worst fear,’ said Isabelle. ‘To hear her own mum take the side of her abuser, is just heartbreaking, but it does bring her and her dad closer together.
‘She feels if her own mum doesn’t believe her then no one else will, reinforcing the want to keep this within the family and not tell anyone else.
‘Deep down, I do think Suzanne believes her daughter as little things Frankie says start to add up, I just think she can’t come to terms with the fact that something like this would ever happen, which is why we’re doing this story in the first place, to show that it does happen.’
With Darren on her side, Frankie spends the following day with her dad, telling him that she doesn’t want to inform the police of JJ’s abuse. As the two bond, Frankie opens up about why she feared Jack (Jimmy McKenna) might attack her when she made an allegation of abuse against him.
Darren understands all of his daughter’s behaviour and subsequently visits Nancy and Morgan in the park, though he refrains from telling Nancy what’s been going on, instead revealing that he cannot see her before the trial because he needs to look after Frankie.
The news devastates Nancy. ‘She convinces herself Darren is starting to believe Frankie’s lies [about the stairs incident] and it really knocks her confidence on the run up to the trial,’ admits star Jessica Fox.
Frankie, meanwhile, speaks to Suzanne, revealing that she first told her about JJ’s abuse when she was nine years old. Frankie further backs up her truth by reading Suzanne snippets of her diary on her phone, begging her mum to believe her.
But will she do so?
That remains to be seen but Metro understands that, further down the line, Nancy will find out the truth when JJ turns to her for support, hoping to manipulate her into believing his twisted lies.
Nancy, however, sees the truth.
And she’s not the only one as Frankie’s abuse becomes public knowledge and Pearl Anderson (Dawn Hope) recognises something in the teen girl from her own life which she ‘boxed’ up and put away.
Discussing the story development, actress Dawn Hope said: ‘Pearl has two siblings, a brother and a sister, who she was very close with, they told each other everything. Pearl knew her sister that well that when she pulls away, something’s wrong.
‘Back then, Pearl wasn’t in a good place yet to deal with what this could unpack. She didn’t force the issue. She’s had to live with the fact that she didn’t have the life skills to know how to take it forward back then. A woman in a different demographic.
‘She ingested it and put it away because there wasn’t what there is now of schools recognising something’s wrong, social workers and so on. It hurts Pearl all the time because the love of that relationship with your sister and support and the closeness, she didn’t know how to fix it.
‘Pearl realises how brave this school girl is to speak up now because who knows what decades of trauma unleashes. You’re going to still have to say the hard thing. Whether you’ve ripped the plaster off at the beginning, or later in life. She’s brave enough and strong enough to rip off the plaster.
‘Pearl starts to release her hidden truth. She want her sister back. She loves her so deeply. She thinks, if I was strongly enough to go and help her to stop it sooner, that’s what she can’t deal with. “I didn’t know how to stop it”. But somehow Frankie’s bravery to say enough is enough is the most empowering, healing things you could do for yourself and it’s right.
Pearl confides her story in Frankie, who is fully supportive, which Dawn brands a ‘beautiful gift’.
‘There’s a healing point that starts to happen for Frankie,’ she continued. ‘JJ might try and get back into her head, and sabotage her agency that she’s got for herself but at that point there’s a beautiful anchoring of her spirit that she’s doing the right thing. Pearl then goes and makes a phone call to her sister and from the passage of time it instantly heals, that instant love and truth. They agree life’s too short.’
Moving forward, Pearl will take Frankie under her wing. And as for Frankie, there’s still so much more to come.
‘There is going to be many twists and turns within the storyline as we proceed to a court hearing,’ confirmed Isabelle. ‘Frankie will find comfort in her friendship with Lucas and her relationship with her dad and step mum will continue to grow positively.
‘She reconnects with friends and tries to rebuild her relationship with her mum, but will it all work out? There are going to be some very emotional scenes coming up when Frankie relives each count of abuse she has suffered at the hands of her brother to police officers and family.’
Hollyoaks streams weeknights at 7:30pm on Channel 4’s streaming platform, or catch episodes on TV at 7pm on E4.
