Hollyoaks star Jennifer Metcalfe tears up as Mercedes McQueen storyline ‘hits home’

Hollyoaks star Jennifer Metcalfe teared up while speaking about her new Mercedes McQueen storyline. The star, 41, who has played the mouthy mother in the Channel 4 soap since 2006, is taking on one of her most challenging plots ever as she battles bowel cancer after the time jump.

But it hasn’t been easy for the 41-year-old, who tragically lost her own dad to cancer at 15 years old, and has been taken aback at how much the storyline impacted her.

Jennifer appeared on the September 22 episode of Sunday Brunch alongside hosts Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer where she revealed the heartbreaking real-life connection and told how she struggled to rehearse some scenes, reports the Mirror.

After watching a heart-wrenching scene from the show, Tim went on to say: “It can’t be easy doing that – playing that storyline.”Jen admitted: “No it’s not. My dad died from cancer when I was 15 so it hits home every time.

“The scriptwriters are amazing and when they give you the script I can’t even really rehearse it and I ask if we can just go straight for the take because it really does hit home.”

She then said: “This week has been very beautiful hearing what people think of the storyline. Lot of people that have had cancer are reaching out to me on Instagram and I’ve been chatting to loads of people this week and with women in a similar situation to Mercedes.

“This is real life for some people and when they make such a strong character like Mercedes like that and they put the wig on and the makeup, I can barely look at myself without crying.”

Tim said: “People sometimes underestimate the importance of soaps and drama and with something like that, like you said, people have reached out to you and they have realised that you are part of their life and they identify with Mercedes as a character and as an actor. It must be fantastic to have that effect.”

Jen replied: “It’s amazing because sometimes you forget because sometimes you just think I’m just doing my job but then when you hear that feedback and how much it’s touching people it’s great.”

She added: “Some people have reached out and said they’ve had changes so they’ve got tested for bowel cancer and me playing that role that raises that awareness and I realise it’s deeper than just going in and doing my acting.”