Hollyoaks icon reveals why character had to die after fan backlash to dark storyline

Hollyoaks continues to deliver on its punchy, unexpected storylines and its 30th anniversary week has only turned the dial up on many of its most dramatic plots – including that of Grace Black.

The character, who is played by Tamara Wall, first appeared on our screens back in 2013 and has been involved in all manner of twists, including helming a human trafficking operation that saw Grace groom vulnerable teens Frankie Osborne (Isabelle Smith) and Dillon Ray (Nathaniel Dass) earlier this year.

While Grace has been a mainstay of the series over the years, it seems as though that most recent storyline was literally the nail in the coffin when it came to deciding her fate on the show.

Having been accidentally shot in an altercation between sister Clare Devine (Gemma Bissix) and son Rex Gallagher (Jonny Labey), Gemma flatlined when she was whisked off to the hospital and unfortunately died.

Grace may have tried to have some sort of redemption arc in recent episodes but actress Wall reveals that it was all a bit too late for her character.

Speaking to The Sun in the aftermath of her exit from Hollyoaks, Wall said of the decision to kill Grace: “I’m devastated. But it was going to happen. We knew when we did the storyline that there was every chance that it was going to be. So we took a risk. We told the storyline. I think I told it pretty well."

She added: “Well I must have done, because everyone hates me. Well they hate Grace. So as devastated as I am, at least I understand why. And it’s for the right reasons. And I don’t think Grace was ever going to get her happy ending. Do you know what I mean?”

Having been involved in such a hard-hitting and uncomfortable storyline, fans of the show were vocal in their backlash of the character and so, along with executive producer Hannah Cheers, the decision was made for Wall to leave and for Grace to die.

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Wall revealed: “I came to the decision a while ago when I was just seeing all of this hate coming to her. And it was just… I think as well when I had a conversation with Hannah about it.

“And I was like, it looks bad on the show because it looks like morally we’re not caring about what that character’s done ... I don’t want to be the cause of Hollyoaks's downfall. Do you know what I mean? That would be awful. So, you know, we came to the decision together and it was right.”

The actress reveals that even though she's had years of fans loving Grace, the outpouring of hate for the character notched up and Wall started to take things personally.

Becoming upset at what she was reading on X, the actress realised it looked "bad" if they chose to just ignore the impact of what Grace had actually done and the crimes she had committed.

Hollyoaks is available to watch on catch-up on Channel 4.

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