“We went to the same school and live two streets from each other!”

Hollyoaks spoilers follow.

Note: This article references sibling sexual abuse.

Hollyoaks star Isabelle Smith has opened up about her real-life friendship with co-star Charlie Behan, revealing that they’ve known each other “for years”.

The pair recently reunited on screen as siblings Frankie Osborne and Charlie Dean, with Behan’s character having returned to the soap for a guest stint following his exit earlier this year.

“Charlie’s arrival came at a really nice time for Frankie, she needed some normality back in her life,” Smith shared during a new interview with Inside Soap. “He is a positive male role model in her life and somebody she looks up to.”

Discussing her real-life friendship with Behan, the actor continued: “For me, it was lovely to work with the real Charlie again, who I’ve known for years.

“We went to the same school and live two streets from each other! When I got the part on Hollyoaks I couldn’t believe we were going to be playing siblings, it’s such a small world!”

This year, Charlie began to appear on screen less frequently as the show prepared to enter a new era, and after the time jump it was confirmed that he had left the village to go to trade school.

However, the character recently returned for a brief visit home, much to the delight of Frankie, who is in turmoil over being a bone marrow donor for her twin brother JJ.

Last month, JJ was told that the treatment for his leukaemia wasn’t working and that he would need a bone marrow transplant.

Darren revealed to Frankie that her brother’s last chance of survival was her being a donor. Considering that JJ was about to face trial for sexually abusing her before his shock diagnosis, this has left Frankie reeling.

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.