Actress Alex Fletcher reveals Hollyoaks exit was the hardest storyline of her career

After 16 years on Hollyoaks, actress Alex Fletcher has just made an emotional exit from the soap with the death of her character Diane Hutchinson.

And, despite having many intense storylines over a TV career that’s spanned more than 30 years, she says those final scenes were the toughest she’s ever filmed.

Alex reduced fans to tears as they watched Diane pass away following a terminal ovarian cancer diagnosis.

She says she totally immersed herself in the story for 12 weeks, making sure every detail was right out of respect for women experiencing cancer in real life.

“I lived and breathed the storyline because I had to, I wanted to do it justice. People who are going through what Diane went through and living it are the bravest ever, I saw that with my own eyes.

She said:

“I’ve acted since I was 14, when I first got Brookie, but this was 100% the hardest storyline I’ve ever had to do. Alanna Hallum, who’s amazing, wrote the last block of scenes and we worked with Ovarian Cancer Action from the start. If at any point there was something we didn’t know, we made sure we got it right.

“The day after I filmed my last scenes, we did a lovely podcast with two survivors who are doing really well. They’re only young women, and for me it was important to speak to girls who did notice the signs, went and got checked, were persistent with their GPs and they’re well now.

“I’d be looking at them thinking, I’ve only acted this for 12 weeks and I’m exhausted and drained, I’m an emotional wreck, and there you are, sharing everything about the symptoms and the reality. They were like superwomen.”

Alex’s final scenes didn’t just move Hollyoaks viewers, they’ve also earned her a nomination in the National Television Awards 2026.

She’s in the running for Serial Drama Performance in the awards, which are like the Oscars of the TV world.

For 49-year-old Scouser Alex, it’s a first-time nomination she’s thrilled to receive.

“I’m on the long list, there’s 30 of us in this category and everyone deserves it, so it’s brilliant to be nominated,” she says.

“I’ve been to the NTAs and they are special, you sit there like a fan thinking, I’ve grown up with these people, so just to be amongst that feels good.”

After such a long time with Hollyoaks, Alex says it was her decision to leave and she’s now looking forward to whatever comes next.

“I was sad to leave, it was a massive decision, but I just felt like there was nothing else I could bring to Diane. I’ve done everything, I’ve been so lucky.

“They’d wanted to work with a charity and to do this storyline but they didn’t really want to lose any of the main cast. When I said I was going, it meant they were able to tell this story.

“Now I’ve got my diary back and I’m excited about the unknown. I’m nearly 50, I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am, so I don’t want to rush into anything or feel like I have to do something.

“Given that we’re the most filmed-in city outside London, I’d love to be in a one-off drama, a real gritty role, or even some comedy, something a bit different and a contrast to what Diane went through.

“Give me a Tony Schumacher drama all day long, I’d be over the moon, or anything by Russell T Davies. I worked with him on my first ever TV job, Why Don’t You …?, so that would be a real full-circle moment.

“But who knows, something might come out of leftfield. I’m not bowing out, I just want a bit of a minute and then it’ll be exciting to see what’s there.”

Votes must be in by Friday May 29 and a shortlist will be announced in August.