April 22nd 2024.
The actress, Annie Wallace, who plays Sally St. Claire on Channel 4's soap Hollyoaks, has been facing a barrage of hateful comments from trolls on social media. In response, the show has taken action to address the transphobic remarks and show their support for Annie.
Annie has been a part of Hollyoaks since 2015, when she first joined as Sally St. Claire, who was later revealed to be the estranged parent of John Paul McQueen. However, her ties to the soap world go back even further, as she was a pioneer for trans representation in the late 90s when she worked as a research assistant for the introduction of Hayley Cropper on Coronation Street. She has also had roles in Manchester theatre and even appeared on the comedy-drama Shameless before being cast as the first regular trans woman playing a trans character on British soap.
Recently, Annie's character Sally has been struggling with an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Despite the diagnosis, Sally is determined to make the most of her life and has been seen enjoying a day of drinking and spending time with her friend Tom Cunningham. However, a confrontation with her former colleague turned conversation therapist, Carter Shepherd, leads to Sally collapsing and being hospitalized. Her doctor, Misbah Maalik, urges her to come clean to her family about her condition.
Upon returning home, Sally receives support and love from her family, the McQueens. However, their innocent post on social media, which showed Sally surrounded by her loved ones, was met with a disturbing amount of transphobic comments from people who have never even watched the show or followed Annie's personal journey. The post was eventually taken down, but the damage had already been done.
Annie addressed the situation on her personal account, stating that despite the positive message of the post, it was flooded with "disgusting, vicious, abusive anti-trans comments". Many fans have since shown their support for Annie and her character, sending messages of love and encouragement.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Annie has faced discrimination and hate for being trans. In a first-person piece she wrote for The Agency during Pride Month two years ago, she discussed the ongoing fight for trans rights and the importance of Pride celebrations and protests. She also shared that her character, Sally, is not defined by her gender identity, but it is simply a part of who she is.
In the midst of all this, Hollyoaks has confirmed the return of a major character, the departure of another, and a shocking twist for Kitty Draper. Stay updated on all the latest soap news by joining our WhatsApp community and following our homepage. We would love to hear your thoughts and opinions, so feel free to leave a comment below. And if you have any soap or TV stories, videos, or pictures to share, please get in touch with us via email.
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