Hollyoaks airs shocking new development in Dee Dee and Abigail story

This article contains discussion of themes including grooming.

Hollyoaks has aired a huge new development in the harrowing grooming storyline between Dee Dee Hutchinson and Abigail Matthews. Abigail has been fostering a disturbing 'friendship' with Dee Dee, taking advantage of the vulnerable teen following the death of her mother, Diane.

And tonight's episode saw the storyline take a terrifying turn as the duo became uncomfortably close.

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The latest instalment of the Channel 4 soap began with Beth Keane begging Dee Dee to speak to her boyfriend, Maddox Keane, after the shock reveal that Cindy Cunningham is actually his biological mother, not Beth.

Dee Dee tries to calm an emotional Beth, explaining that Maddox has "shut down" and there is no point pushing him to open up or build bridges at this point.

She tries to speak to Maddox anyway while at school, who yells at Beth to "take the hint and leave him alone" to which Beth explodes and cuts him off, a fiery altercation that Abigail witnesses.

Abigail pulls Maddox into her office, pretending to have his best interests at heart and offers him a shoulder to cry on "while he's struggling", but tells him fighting with Dee Dee won't help.

She encourages him to give Dee Dee some space, manipulating those close to the teen to isolate her.

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After arguing again in the school corridors, Maddox realises how much Dee Dee relies on Abigail for support during this tough time, and he tells his friend that their teacher advised him to keep his distance and ignore her.

Dee Dee visits her mum's headstone, confronting Abigail when she turns up at the cemetery and asks why she warned Maddox to stay away from her.

She accuses Abigail of having feelings for her, and that was why she tried to get between her relationship with Maddox, to which the teacher asks if Dee Dee has feelings for her.

Dee Dee admits that she does and asks if she feels the same way, to which Abigail confirms she does and the pair embrace.

Abigail smirks as Dee Dee wraps her arms around her. Which sinister direction is her plan going to take from here?

Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 (www.nspcc.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline on (1-800-422-4453) or the American SPCC (www.americanspcc.org).

You can access more information from Rape Crisis England and Wales, which works towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct, on its website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.

Hollyoaks airs on Mondays-Wednesdays with its Channel 4 streaming premiere at 7am, then an E4 broadcast the same night at 7pm. Full episodes are also released on YouTube a week after their Channel 4 release.

Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.

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