“By this point, Frankie is so tired of dealing with her abuse by herself.”
Hollyoaks star Isabelle Smith has teased what the future holds for Frankie Osborne after she told Darren about JJ’s abuse of her.
Frankie has been tormented by her brother ever since arriving in the village earlier in the year, with the character continuing the abuse that he had inflicted throughout their childhood.
After months of trauma, next week’s scenes will see Frankie confide in both Darren and Suzanne that JJ has been abusing her for years, with Smith explaining why her character has decided to share everything.
“The whole day at the football ground is very overwhelming for Frankie – she feels completely out of her comfort zone and alienated from the whole family,” shared Smith.
“When she takes herself off for what she thinks will be a moment of peace, JJ enters the changing room and wants to engage in ‘school discos’ [a codeword for the abuse] as a celebration of his achievements.
“Frankie locks herself in the bathroom as she cries for help. JJ proceeds to bang down the door and this is the first time she has seen this level of violence and determination to hurt her, so I definitely feel this is the turning point in the storyline when Frankie sees no end to her abuse.
“I do think the level of violence shown from JJ during the scene where she locks herself in the bathroom has a massive impact on Frankie’s ability to hide what has been going on for much longer. I think she fears for not only her safety but the safety of her other siblings, too.
“By this point, Frankie is so tired of dealing with her abuse by herself, and so when Darren comes along on his own to have a chat, she is feeling very weak. The scene, which was beautifully written and directed, gave Frankie the safe space all survivors deserve to have to speak out about what has happened to them.
“Darren tells her that he loves her, and it has been such a long time since Frankie has felt genuine love, especially from a male family member, that she immediately breaks down and feels brave enough to tell him that JJ has been sexually abusing her.
Smith also talked about Frankie’s conflicted feelings for her brother, sharing that she still felt some “brotherly love” despite his horrific crimes, explaining: “I think that, despite the abuse Frankie is facing from her twin brother, JJ, she still has brotherly love for him.
“From research that I’ve done and am doing, it is very common for survivors of SSA to still experience feelings of love in that sibling relationship as you want to remember all the times when your relationship was full of laughter and pain-free.
“Frankie is extremely scared of JJ, she tries to drown her pain by self-harming and drinking, but nothing really takes it [the [pain] away – she is constantly living in the fear of when it will happen next.
“But then they have these moments where he shows compassion and remorse towards her and promises he will stop the abuse, and Frankie has fallen into the trap time and time again, making it harder for her to speak out and tell someone what is happening.”
With JJ’s actions due to be exposed soon, Smith teased what the future holds for the family, sharing: “There are going to be many twists and turns within the storyline as we proceed to a court hearing. Frankie will find comfort in her friendship with Lucas, and her relationship with her dad and stepmum will continue to grow positively.
“She reconnects with friends and tries to rebuild her relationship with her mum, but will it all work out? There are going to be some very emotional scenes coming up when Frankie relives each count of abuse she has suffered at the hands of her brother to police officers and family.”
Hollyoaks streams first online via Channel 4 each weekday at 7.30pm. Episodes then air on E4 the following day, before getting their YouTube premiere a week after that.
