Hollyoaks star Stephanie Waring reveals sadness over exit after iconic character is killed off: ‘It’s tough’
With the tragic death of an on-screen loved one, a wedding on the horizon and an old enemy back for more, Hollyoaks star Stephanie Waring has never been busier!
The actress, who plays Cindy Cunningham, has been at the centre of a number of storylines on the Channel 4 soap under the leadership of new bosses Hannah Cheers and Angelo Abelo and, quite frankly, I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Her biggest and most memorable scene this year saw Cindy crumble in the arms of Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) when she was informed that Ella Richardson (Erin Palmer), her beloved niece, had tragically died.
Ella, as viewers know, was the victim of a tragic accident when she was struck by a car during the pile-up at Dee Valley bypass, bringing to an end actress Erin’s six and a half year stint in the show.
With Cindy having loved and lost many a loved one over the years, from Luke Morgan (Gary Lucy) and Dirk Savage (David Kennedy), Stephanie is no stranger to the powerhouse performances that come with grieving on-screen, but she admitted that losing Erin was particularly tough for her.
‘It’s never easy saying goodbye to any cast member but it was particularly difficult with Erin because she’s so young and she’s kind of grown up there,’
‘She’s been here since she was nine and we became close over the last year or so because Ella came to live with Cindy so we had a lot of stuff together.’
Ella, as viewers will recall, was abandoned by mum Mandy (Sarah Jayne Dunn), who moved to the US on a whim after securing a new job. Cindy was left to pick up the pieces, with Ella subsequently moving in with her aunt which, as Stephanie said, meant that she shared a lot of screen-time with Erin.
It also meant that we, as viewers, grieved Ella through the eyes of Cindy, with Steph delivering many a captivating performance while in character.
‘It’s tough because Ella was killed off so there’s a finality to it, which is sad,’ she said, but was adamant that Erin would go on to achieve great things after her time in the eponymous village.
Stephanie told me that she and Erin had become close after their characters started to live together (Picture: Lime Pictures)
‘She’s the most intelligent, talented girl – she’s going to smash it out there, no matter what she turns her hand to.’
Hear hear!
Cindy, meanwhile, will attempt to move on in the wake of her niece’s death though, given that Ste was the one driving the car when Ella was knocked down, it’s likely a story that will be revisited in the future.
A question I therefore had to ask Steph was just how, exactly, will Cindy react when the truth comes out?
‘Not well, shall we say!,’ she exclaimed with a laugh. ‘I don’t think she’s going to react in the best way! It’s obviously all going to come out one day – I’d love to see what they have written for Cindy when does find out.
‘But the thing is, because Ste is so loved by the audience, and he didn’t do it on purpose – it was an accident – I kind of want Cindy to understand that as well. I know she’s not going to react well and of course there’s the fact that he covered it up, but it’s a tough one! I don’t want people to not like Cindy when she goes off her head! I kind of want them to say: “You go girl!”
Away from mourning Ella, Cindy will also find herself planning for a wedding following her engagement to Dave Chen-Williams (Dominic Power).
‘We’ve not quite got [to the wedding] yet, we’re just about to film it,’ confessed Steph. ‘There’s a lot of drama coming up before then that happens but I hope they’ll make it down the aisle.’
Will Dave and Cindy make it down the aisle? Steph certainly hopes so (Picture: Lime Pictures)
One element of said drama is Suzanne Ashworth (Suzanne Hall), who – as longtime Hollyoaks fans will recall – is a former enemy of Cindy’s. Suzanne staged her comeback earlier this year, along with daughter Hannah (Emma Rigy), much to the delight of fans.
‘Cindy realises that Dave isn’t sitting on a pot of gold and so she has to contribute to the wedding,’ teased Stephanie. ‘She goes for a job in Price Slice, thinking she’s already got the job because she used to work there and it turns out she has to do a trial along with Suzanne!
‘There’s a bit of a competition going on there! She tries to sabotage Suzanne but gets found out but we don’t know if she gets the job or not. It’s hilarious and fun – and quite camp!’
My favourite kind of Hollyoaks storyline.
Cindy’s old nemesis Suzanne is back and fans can expect some truly camp showdowns (Picture: Lime Pictures)
Stephanie was quick to heap praise on co-star Suzanne Hall, who actually plays Suzanne, revealing that it’s been ‘really nice’ having her back on the show. ‘I think [Suzanne and Cindy] are both like the alpha-females and they enjoy playing off against each other.
‘It’s that tit for tat, isn’t it? I’m actually hoping that they’ll become friends along the way, but I’ve really enjoyed having this female rivalry between them at the minute.’
