Hollyoaks actor Callum Kerr has warned fans his coercive control storyline as PC George Kiss is about to get even darker.
Police officer George has been manipulating his boyfriend John Paul McQueen (James Sutton) as well as his ex boyfriend Dean.
George even tricked John Paul into believing he had been murdered on New Year's Eve, sparking extreme emotional distress for his heartbroken spouse.
And in recent horrifying scenes, George got violent with John Paul and punched him in the face during a row where John Paul said he was being isolated from his family.
But Callum has revealed the plot will take a turn for the worst as George will convince the other residents in the area that it is actually John Paul who is abusive.
He told the Scottish Sun : "We take it a few months at a time and this storyline is doing well at the moment and we are still filming this kind of sinister George Kiss and I think he will get worse before he gets better – if he gets better."
He also revealed that he is concerned about the reaction from viewers when lockdown lifts as some fans struggle to separate villainous characters from the actors that play them.
"You don't see the fans on the street as much – or at all now," he said.
"But they are all quite active online so I've had a few people be like, 'I used to love your character and now I hate you.'
"The storyline is very believable so hopefully I'm doing a good enough job to have it come across that this character is that evil."
Speaking about the coercive control storyline, Callum explained he and the Hollyoaks bosses thought it was an important time to explore the story and raise awareness.
They consulted real life victims of domestic abuse to understand how it happens and Callum said he hopes it can help people recognise their situation and persuade them to get help.
* If you need help, call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 - it's run by charity Refuge and the free number is in operation 24 hours a day
* Hollyoaks airs new episodes from Mondays to Thursdays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first look screenings at 7pm on E4
