Hollyoaks’ Darren makes devastating confession after return
He has been missing for six weeks.
Note: The following article contains discussion of themes including suicidal ideation.
Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks‘ Darren Osborne has made a devastating confession following his return to the village.
Darren went missing at the end of October, leaving his family increasingly worried as several leads didn’t help locate him.
Last week, the Osbornes appeared on live TV to appeal for information on Darren’s whereabouts, which ended with a panicked Nancy fainting on screen.
After six weeks, it was then revealed that Darren was secretly staying with Charlie Dean, who urged his dad to “go home”.
Tonight’s (December 16) episode saw Misbah support Nancy at the hospital following her shock collapse.
Meanwhile, an anxious Robbie waited outside with flowers for Nancy, and was shocked to see Darren turn up.
“Hey bro, did you miss me?” Darren asked, before Robbie swiftly handed him the bouquet and punched him.
Darren then went to see Nancy and Frankie, who didn’t give him a warm welcome either, following the hurt he put them through when he walked out on them.
“I realise how worried you’ve been, and I’m really sorry,” Darren said, before Nancy bluntly replied: “You’re lucky that my legs aren’t working properly or I’d walk over there and punch you in the face.”
Darren explained that he needed “space”, and admitted that he “wasn’t thinking”.
Nancy then shared that she thought her husband had done something “terrible” to himself, considering his history of depression.
“The truth is, I thought about it,” Darren tearfully revealed. “But I couldn’t do it. I should have let you know I was okay, but I knew if I got in touch, you’d want me to come home, and I just couldn’t.”
Darren went on to share that returning to his family was a “scary” prospect, to which Nancy said: “Because you knew I was going to be mad? You’re such a man child Darren.”
“Don’t belittle what I’ve been through,” Darren urged his wife. He then confessed to feeling like he’d “failed” as a father with Frankie being abused under his watch, as well as JJ’s recent leukaemia diagnosis.
“You’re not a bad father. You’re not responsible for everything that happened,” Nancy said, before Darren revealed his intention to stay in the village.
Will he be able to get things back on track with his family?
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.
