Exclusive: Hollyoaks star Kieron Richardson on Ste Hay's return to the show

Hollyoaks star Kieron Richardson has spoken to Digital Spy about his hopes for Ste Hay's return storyline.

The actor has been on a break from the Channel 4 soap since the end of last year, when Ste left the village after the conclusion of his far-right extremism storyline.

Ste said his goodbyes to Chester after getting himself out of the far-right group, planning to go and stay with a friend in Newcastle. In real life, Kieron went on tour with the stage version of Kay Mellor's Band of Gold.

Kieron was originally due back filming at Hollyoaks at the end of last month, but his comeback has been delayed due to the show suspending filming amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

kieron richardson as ste hay in hollyoaks

Lime Pictures

Speaking to Digital Spy, Kieron explained: "I was working every night with Band of Gold, so my plan was to get back to Hollyoaks and have a meeting to find out what Ste's return storyline would be.

"I was interested to hear what Ste has been up to in Newcastle and then crack on from there.

"I haven't really had that opportunity because we've been in lockdown, apart from going into the studio to host Hollyoaks Favourites. I'm in the dark as much as everyone else, really."

Channel 4

He continued: "I hope Ste has changed. I think that's the beauty of it. Because the audience hasn't seen Ste, he could have been up to anything over the past few months.

"I'd like to think that Ste has had time to reflect and think about the situation that he put himself in last year. Hopefully he has learned from that.

"It'd be nice to come back with a fresh start. I want him back in his tracksuits and in the heart of the village again. I'm not bothered about being in the biggest story of the year – I quite like working with different actors, who I don't usually get the chance to share scenes with.

"I never work with Mercedes, so even if Ste bobs into her storyline or goes into the pub to speak to her for a bit. I'm happy doing anything!"

Ste Hay and Jonny Baxter clash in Hollyoaks

Lime Pictures

Kieron also spoke about his time away in Band of Gold, which came to an end slightly earlier than planned due to government restrictions.

He said: "We had one week left. The last week was supposed to be in Bath. We got on stage for the warm-up with an hour to go before we went on – then we got pulled, basically. We were told: 'That's it, it's all finished'.

"I thought: 'That's it, I can go back to Hollyoaks!' But little did I know, I wouldn't be just yet!

"Being part of Band of Gold was so rewarding – just the fact that I got another job and proved I could play another character. Working with Kay Mellor was amazing and we did a lot of work on the character's backstory.

"I learned a lot of stuff that I'm going to take forward when I do go back to work. I'm going to use this opportunity to be better. Every year I try to work a little bit harder."

Hollyoaks currently airs new episodes on Mondays and Tuesdays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first look screenings at 7pm on E4. Hollyoaks Favourites airs on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7pm on E4.

The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it's possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you're in the UK, the National Health Service can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

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