Hollyoaks newcomer Charlotte Riley explains why Leah has changed so much

Hollyoaks spoilers follow.

Hollyoaks newcomer Charlotte Riley has addressed taking over the role of Leah Barnes after the character made a shocking return to the village with Imran Maalik. Leah and Imran met off-screen as they both travelled away from Chester and have now returned as a couple.

While some fans also noticed a change in Leah’s personality upon her return, Riley insisted the character is only putting up a front now that’s she’s back to the place where she grew up.

“It’s just one of those things where life changes, people change and grow and that’s just what’s happened with Leah, really,” Riley told the Mirror.

Ean Flanders//Lime Pictures

She continued: “She’s gone into this new era of life and it’s a fresh start coming back with Imran. She’s still the same Leah underneath but as you come in obviously you’ve got this front up and you want to show off how well you’ve worked and she’s got all these ideas in her mind and she wants to do this project and work with people and it’s like coming back to old friendships.”

Leah, previously played by Ela-May Demircan, left the village in 2024 to go study in the US, entrusting her baby son James to the cares of his dad, Dillon. She had a tumultuous relationship with her brother Lucas, who was devastated when he found out that Leah had slept with his boyfriend.

The character seems to have put all the drama behind her as she embarks on a new life with Imran, with the pair set to tie the knot. But Riley has teased that the truth will “come out”, hinting at some twists on the horizon for the new couple.

Lime Pictures

“Leah’s come back to a village where she left where she gave birth and coming back to that place is going to be all these little reminders when she goes around the village and she just has to put up this front really and that’s what she’s doing at the minute,” Riley said.

“We’ve obviously got the big wedding and people are a bit confused to why she’s got money and are second guessing things she might be doing and saying and no matter what, the truth always comes out in the end, so it’ll all come out.”