Laurie escapes from prison - danger ahead for Sinead in Hollyoaks
Can Sami save her? Rishi Nair teases epic showdown
There's a villain on the loose in Hollyoaks as rapist Laurie Shelby (Kyle Pryor) escapes from prison on Monday 5th August (E4 showing) and plans to track down wife Sinead Shelby (Stephanie Davis), who is happily flirting with Sami Maalik (Rishi Nair) at a music festival and oblivious to the potential horror in store…
Evil Laurie, who subjected Sinead to a cycle of sexual and psychological abuse during their horrific marriage, is sentenced to four years in prison but remains so deluded he is still convinced they will be reunited. Escorted from court in a prison van, the former deputy head of Hollyoaks High strikes up a conversation with fellow inmate Finn O'Connor (Keith Rice), who he soon realises is Sinead's brother - and who is also in jail for sexual assault.
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The men clash and a crash occurs, giving Laurie the perfect opportunity to break free and set the scene for the final chapter of the hard-hitting plot.
Meanwhile, Sinead is letting her hair down at the Beat Fields festival, keen to move on from her emotionally-charged prison visit to Laurie the day before, and it's a pleasant surprise as she's joined by ex-lover Sami - and they're soon kissing. Is this the start of a full-on romance between the pair who have danced around each other since the day they met and had sex in a car in the middle of a storm?!
"Sami likes Sinead but is aware of what she's been through with Laurie," Nair told RadioTimes.com. "She's already pied him off when he suggested getting together and he respects that. He's apprehensive as he doesn't know where Sinead's head is at. They are still very close but Sami is confused - he's being cautious and playing it by ear."
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On the face of it Sami and Sinead couldn't be more different - he's the uptight, groomed lawyer and she's the chaotic loudmouth single mum. But Nair believes they have more in common than you might think and reckons they're a good match.
"I think they bring out the best in each other," he said. "They're having a laugh at the festival and she plays into his lighter side. When they first got together in the storm it was just a bit of sexy fun, but that set a benchmark for them being fun and free and essentially that is the common dominator between them - their respective wild streaks.
"They are like two teenagers in that they're both just excited to be together. Sami is usually very serious so it's nice to play this other aspect of him. He really cares about Sinead as we've seen how much he's helped her through the Laurie situation, professionally as a lawyer but also as a mate."
The tentative steps to the pair getting their happy ever after is a deliberate move to put the audience off guard - with Laurie on the run surely it's only a matter of time before he finds his victim and high drama ensues?
"Sinead is definitely in danger," teased Nair. "Later in the week Sami finds out Sinead has left the festival as it's awkward after the kiss. Then Diane tells him some shocking news, and they both rush to try and find her…"
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