Stephen Rahman-hughes
“Would I be friends with Adam? Probably not!”
Would I be friends with Adam in real life? Probably not!” chuckles Eastenders star Stephen RahmanHughes, who plays the cheating dentist, as we grab him for a grilling on his character’s terrible antics. “He wants to be the star of the show, doesn’t he? He wants life to be exactly how he wants it, with him at the centre of it all. And that narcissism is not particularly a quality that I would want in a friend!”
For months, selfish Adam has been cheating on his girlfriend Honey with Habiba, promising his younger lover that he will leave his partner to be with her. When Habiba got sick of his games and dumped him recently, it seemed he’d got away with his affair. But with Honey suspecting that something has gone on between the two of them, is Adam in for a rude awakening?
“Adam thinks he’s done a brilliant job of keeping everything hidden,” Stephen informs us. “In his mind, he’s not aware that Honey has any inkling. Obviously he knows she’s questioned it, but he thinks he’s been so clever and great
at covering his tracks that he’s been able to turn it around really well.”
Viewers know that Honey has a pretty good idea of what’s been going on right under her nose, yet for whatever reason she’s burying her head in the sand and refusing to face the reality – that she’s dating a cheater. This week, the pair are forging ahead with their plans to buy Jack’s f lat together. Yet could it all be about to fall apart if Honey suddenly decides to leave the rotten bloke?
“I think Adam would be devastated if that happens,” says Stephen. “Honey is the closest thing to offering him the chance to create his own family unit. His relationship with her kids is good, and I think that’s a huge missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle for him, because he’s never had a family of his own.
“Adam’s come from a foster care background – and while he’s had a lot of love from Mariam and Arshad, he grabs the attention and adoration whenever he can,” he continues. “He probably feels that life owes him something, so if someone is attracted to him, I think he’s an opportunist in that respect. He will grab it and run with it.”
As viewers, we’re not at all happy that arrogant Adam has been treating lovely Honey so badly. And Stephen tells us that he wasn’t initially impressed to hear that his alter ego would be morphing into a love rat, either.
“It was actually a massive surprise,” he admits. “I was playing this really nice guy, and suddenly they told me I would be launching into an affair – I was quite taken aback. But then I was very excited to get on with some stuff that was going to be much more interesting to play.
“A show like this is all about conflict and drama – it’s what keeps the viewers excited,” he continues. “A nice guy has a shelf-life, so it’s good to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in!”
Although Stephen’s enjoyed lots of success in the theatre, and as part of singing group Teatro, Eastenders is his first long-term TV role. And getting used to the level of fame that comes with being on a soap has been a bit of an adjustment for the star.
“I was at the Royal Opera House recently, watching a dance with my wife, who’s a choreographer,” he reveals. “A cabbie pulled up and was like, ‘Oi, Adam, I’m going to tell Honey!’ when I was kissing my wife. And I was like, ‘She’s my wife!’ [ Laughs]
“It’s happening all the time now,” continues Stephen. “It’s a different level of fanaticism, but everyone’s been really friendly. Even though people hate me on screen, when they see me in real life, it’s all very tongue-in-cheek!”
Adam thinks he’s done a great job of keeping his affair hidden