Yahoo News Hollyoaks star reveals Yasmine's self-harm aftermath
Hollyoaks star Haiesha Mistry has spoken to Digital Spy about the future of the show's group self-harm storyline.
A sad twist in Tuesday's E4 first look episode (October 17) saw Haiesha's character Yasmine Maalik succumb to peer pressure as she self-harmed with her friends Lily Drinkwell and Peri Lomax.
Viewers may have already noticed that Yasmine seemed far less comfortable with the situation than Lily and Peri did, which will be explored further over the coming weeks.
Next week, Yasmine finds the courage to stand up to Lily and Peri and encourages them to get some help, warning that she'll go to Diane and Leela if they don't.
Reacting to the latest episode, Haiesha told us: "I was really excited to do this storyline. It's a serious topic and we need to cover it correctly, but we were really happy that we were chosen to do it.
"Most people have heard of self-harm, but it's a big thing to explore how it happens as a group. It's been great working with Lauren McQueen and Ruby O'Donnell – who play Lily and Peri – on this subject and we've had so much support doing it. We're exploring the storyline from each character's perspective."
She added: "When preparing for the storyline, I spoke to the research department on set. Lily has been self-harming for a while already, but for Yasmine it was a big shock when she saw her doing it at school.
"Yasmine then did it herself out of curiosity and peer pressure. She thought: 'They're doing it, so why shouldn't I?' Yasmine knows deep down that it's wrong, especially afterwards. In future episodes, she really tries to discourage the others from doing it because she knows that they need help.
"Yasmine has her heart issues, she's self-conscious about her body and she's been bullied herself. She can see what Lily's going through and she knows that self-harming won't help her."
Haiesha also told us about fan reactions to Yasmine, admitting that there have been varied responses to some of her mean behaviour.
She laughed: "The reaction to Yasmine is mixed, if I'm honest, but I'm still quite new as I've not been in the show for long. I've tried to show how Yasmine tells it like it is, she's cocky and she just doesn't care.
"I've had some funny comments from fans. Some people say they love her, some people ask me why she's being so horrible to Lily. Those fans are really invested in the show, and I like to play along with that by tweeting along with the episodes as they go out live. It's exciting to get that mixed reaction."
Hollyoaks airs weeknights at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first look screenings at 7pm on E4.
Readers affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Samaritans free on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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Digital Spy Soap Scoop video – hit play below for all the latest Hollyoaks gossip, as Lily's self-harm secret is revealed and Leela loses her temper with Zack.
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