Hollyoaks is finally set to give the fans what they want as Sienna Blake (Anna Passey) and Ethan Williams (Matthew James Bailey) walk down the aisle to tie the knot.
Not crying, I swear.
Ethan and Sienna – or Ethenna to the stans – first got together two years ago, winning a legion of fans along the way to become one of the most popular pairings the Channel 4 soap has ever seen.
Bafflingly, they were soon separated by a show plot that saw Sienna attempt to con millionaire Rafe Harcourt (Chris Gordon) out of his fortune – only to fall for him instead.
In retaliation, Ethan laid it all on the line – urging Sienna to call off the con before it was too late – but Sienna found herself in too deep and thus refused to put a stop to her plan, getting dangerously close to becoming the next Mrs Earl of Dee.
Despite their separation, it seems the intention was always to reunite Ethan and Sienna – no doubt in a slowburn tale that fans would’ve lapped up – but a change in direction saw both characters taken on very different paths.
Sienna discovered that Dilly (Emma Johnsey-Smith) – who was originally introduced as Rafe’s sister – was actually his wife and was, in fact, her sister instead.
The arrival of ‘uncle’ Jeremy (Jeremy Sheffield) only complicated things further, with a highly contentious and quite frankly unnecessary retcon employed by writers to make the newcomer Sienna’s biological father.
Ethan, meanwhile, knuckled down and got on with his work at The Loft, having very little storyline material at all – although he remained a firm favourite with the audience all the same.
But after Hollyoaks’ history-making time jump, which saw the Channel 4 soap dive one year into the future, order has been restored and Ethan and Sienna are back together.
And not only that, but they’re engaged!
Unfortunately, their happiness will be short-lived, with Ethan frustratingly set to exit in upcoming scenes as Metro confirmed in June that star Matthew James Bailey would leave the show.
Before that, however, fans will get some semblance of joy in the form of an Ethenna wedding, with actor Matthew and co-star Anna Passey – who play the much-loved couple – pictured on-location in Liverpool, filming for the big day.
Our hearts are full.
The question is: will Ethan and Sienna make it down the aisle? Or will Hollyoaks – like it’s done so many times in the past – deprive the happy couple of their much-sought-after happy ending?
Jeremy, who has exhibited killer traits in the past, is present for Sienna’s big day so will he ultimately ruin things for the bride and groom-to-be?
Dilly star Emma Johnsey-Smith, plus Malique Thompson-Dwyer and Garcia Brown, who play Prince McQueen and Zoe Anderson respectively, were also pictured during the on-location shoot.
In terms of what happens with Ethan and Sienna, you’ll just have to tune in and see.
Discussing the couple’s long-awaited reunion, Anna Passey told Metro.co.uk: ‘[Their relationship] was just beginning when they ruined it and looking back I wished we’d had a bit more of them before that happened – but we didn’t!
‘It is nice to be getting close to it now. No matter where it goes I think it’s important that they have that time.’
Anna contemplated which of her former on-screen partners was Sienna’s one true love and, just like the fans, she ultimately decided that it was none other than Ethan.
‘Sienna and Ethan was something that just worked so well,’ she said with a smile. ‘When you look at him he’s a bit of Warren but not really – like droplets of Warren.
‘He’s a bit Brody in his spirit and a bit of Summer in the darkness. He’s a blend of all of them. But it’s like Goldilocks with the porridge. This one’s quite right.’
The ball is in your court Hollyoaks. The fans are on the cusp of getting what they want. Don’t let us down.
Hollyoaks streams Mondays to Wednesdays from 7am on Channel 4’s streaming platform, or catch episodes on TV at 7pm on E4.
