Ollie’s facing family dramas…
HOLLYOAKS’ AEDAN DUCKWORTH ON OLLIE’S FAMILY DRAMAS... Ollie feels settled – so he fears that Luke will stir the pot…
Ollie may have been hiding the truth about his little brother’s true paternity for months now, but this week it becomes clear that his daddy issues aren’t about to stop there. First up, the teenager is yet to discover he’s now a father-to-be, with his girlfriend Brooke pregnant. Meanwhile, the return of his own troubled dad, Luke, looks set to upset the happy new life he’s built with stepmum Mandy and her new fella Darren. So, as we join 18-year-old Aedan Duckworth – who plays Ollie – for a chat about the life of his alter ego, he’s preparing himself for plenty of drama…
“There’s a lot brewing at the moment, that’s for sure,” laughs the star. “I mean, to discover that you’re going to be a
dad when you’re just a 16-year-old lad – to say that he’d be shocked is an understatement! He has so much going on right now, so bringing a kid into the world doesn’t seem like the best idea.”
However, Ollie inadvertently has some parenting practice this week, when Darren asks him to look after baby DJ. Realising that Ollie isn’t bonding with the boy, Darren decides they should spend some quality time together. But little does he know that Ollie’s been avoiding the baby because he knows Darren’s not DJ’S dad – Luke is!
“Ollie’s really struggling with this secret – it’s such a huge thing for someone of his age to be keeping to himself,” says Aedan. “He takes DJ with him on a date with Brooke, yet that doesn’t really go to plan! But later, he has a nice little scene with DJ, where he kind of apologises for keeping his distance – obviously, DJ can’t understand Ollie as he’s just a little baby! It’s a lovely moment, though, and from there they kind of go onwards and upwards.”
And it seems there’s baby love off-screen too… “Little Henry – who plays DJ – is just awesome!” coos Aedan. “I don’t have much baby experience, if I’m honest, so the first time I held him was pretty funny, as I was really quite scared! But he’s the
cutest little cuddly baby I’ve ever seen. He never cries, and he’s great on set – I think
I’m probably more bother than him!”
But of course, there’s drama in the offing with the return of DJ and Ollie’s biological father, Luke. So how is Aedan feeling about his screen father’s return?
“Well, Ollie’s been missing his dad, so it’s going to be good for him to get that bond again,” he shares. “Although Ollie does start to worry about Luke attempting to win back Mandy. He’s feeling really settled with her and Darren in a kind of family dynamic, and he fears that Luke is going to stir the pot.
“For me, it’s great to have Gary Lucy [Luke] here, as I love working with him – he’s looked after me since I joined the show, and taught me so much. I’ve had two years of Gary now!”
So, does Aedan feel as if he’s now learned all he needs to about life on Hollyoaks?
“Well, I’m an 18-year-old, so I obviously think I know everything already!” he laughs. “But I do know there are always new things to be learned, which is fantastic.”