The hot gossip

We’ve been wondering for weeks what drove Phoebe Jackson to a life on the streets, and last night we finally got our answer. Her waster mum, Mel, is a prostitute who’d rather focus on entertaining her grubby clients than look after her daughter!

Introducing Mel was a stroke of genius on Hollyoaks’ part, as it goes a long way to explain why Pheebs is the defensive and damaged girl she is. There’s no real relationship between mother and daughter, and in fact actress Mandip Gill told us that Phoebe views her mum as “just some woman called Mel”.

It’s clear Phoebe would rather sleep rough in a squat than kip on the sofa in her mum’s grotty bedsit and, frankly, we don’t blame her. But hopefully she’ll have to do neither, because Jacqui and Rhys are waiting in the wings to give the troubled teen a stable home.

With Phoebe under their roof, life would definitely be far from dull chez Ashworth, and that’s no bad thing. Scraps aside, it’s obvious Jac thinks the world of Phoebe, and we’ve enjoyed getting to see more of her maternal side. Who’d have imagined ex-jailbird Jacqui could be such a soft touch?

With Mel out of the way, Phoebe would stand a great chance of carving out a future for herself in the village, going to school, making some mates, and (fingers crossed) being able to afford to ditch that manky anorak she’s been living in forever!

So do your daughter a favour, Mel, and let her go and live with Jacqui and Rhys. Don’t you reckon she deserves some happiness?