Hollyoaks viewers ‘solve’ J’s ‘real’ identity after major Rex twist

Fans of the popular Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks believe they have figured out the identity of the character J following a new mystery involving Rex Gallagher, played by Jonny Labey.

Earlier this week, Freddie Roscoe (Charlie Clapham) discovered that Grace Black (Tamara Wall) had deceived him about his daughter Lexi Roscoe’s (Marnie Fletcher) accident, as she was aware that her son Curtis Royle (Reuben Shepherd) was responsible for the injury.

Kieron Richardson’s character Ste Hay confronted Rex for ignoring him after providing an alibi to the police, and Rex explained that he had been affected by the drama between Freddie and Grace. Ste then noticed Rex in conversation with Misbah Maalik, played by Harvey Virdi, where she stated she would “make sure there is no trace of him at the house”.

Ste assumed they were discussing her late husband James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan). When Ste questioned Misbah, she appeared evasive. Acting on his suspicions, he decided to break into Misbah’s house to investigate.

While searching for evidence, Misbah returned home. Ste demanded to know James’ whereabouts, leading to a struggle during which he accidentally pushed her to the floor, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Ste was horrified when he realised he had killed Misbah. As he attempted to wrap her body in a rug, Donny Clark, played by Louis Emerick, arrived. He tried to explain the situation, but Donny was perplexed Misbah had never been there.

In a dramatic twist on the Channel 4 soap, Donny reported Ste for breaking in, only for Misbah to return unharmed. With Ste’s mental state deteriorating, he was arrested.

In another shocking development, Rex bribed his nephew Curtis with £100 to lie about Lexi, and it was disclosed that Rex was the one who injured her, causing her epilepsy a fact overheard by Freddie.

Freddie, enraged by the revelation, confronted and punched Rex. Grace also discovered the truth about Lexi’s injury.

Rex tried to justify his actions by saying that Curtis and Lexi had created an imaginary friend named ‘J’ and communicated with him through letters hidden in his bag.

Rex recounted how Lexi accidentally took something dangerous from his bag, leading to a scuffle where she fell and suffered a head injury, which later caused a seizure when Freddie found her.

The plot thickened as Curtis inquired about ‘J’, with Grace insisting the friend wasn’t real. Yet, the episode closed on a mysterious note with a figure penning a message from ‘J’ saying “I am still trapped in the house please come soon.”

Speculation is rife among fans that James might be alive, despite supposedly dying in a car explosion before the soap’s time leap last September. Viewers have taken to social media to express their theories, with one fan writing: “James I say still alive.”

Another suggested: “Maybe Curtis and Lexi are writing notes to ‘J’ and it’s Rex keeping James hidden once why they kept giving him letters to give to him? “. A third chimed in: “I think it’s James.”

The handwriting matched the notes that Ste had previously discovered on Rex’s desk. Is Ste merely imagining things about James, or is there a more ominous situation unfolding?

Hollyoaks airs Monday to Wednesday on E4 at 7pm and first look episodes can be streamed Channel 4 from 7am