Jacqui McQueen
Jacqui McQueen (also Malota and Ashworth) is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Claire Cooper. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 26 September 2006 and was introduced by series producer Bryan Kirkwood as part of the McQueen family. Cooper has stated that whilst Lucy Allan produced the serial she was not used and that Jacqui had "lost her identity". In 2010 when Paul Marquess took over the role, he recognised she was an under used character and split her apart from the McQueen family, subsequently increasing her role within the show. Jacqui has been portrayed as a "tough ex-con" and is extremely feisty, she often takes on the matriarch role within the McQueens.
| Jacqui McQueen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollyoaks character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Claire Cooper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2006–2013, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 1873 26 September 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | Episode 6262 8 December 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Bryan Kirkwood (2006) Hannah Cheers and Angelo Abela (2023) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spin-off appearances | Hollyoaks Later (2009) Hollyoaks: King of Hearts (2010) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Many of Jacqui's early storylines revolved around her life of crime, marrying Aleksander Malota (Jon Lolis) to pay off debts and her wayward relationship with Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard), which became popular with viewers. One of her most prominent early plots involved her desire to have her own child after a miscarriage left her unable to, this resulted in failed adoption, various surrogate mother stories involving her family and eventually led to the breakdown of her relationship with Tony. Jacqui's later storylines involved her relationship with Des Townsend (Kris Deedigan), covering up Calvin Valentine's (Ricky Whittle) murder, being blackmailed and held at knifepoint for sex and a "surprise relationship" with Rhys Ashworth (Andrew Moss) which also become very popular with audiences. In 2011 Jacqui made a rape accusation against Gilly Roach (Anthony Quinlan), whether Gilly is guilty or innocent was decided by a jury composed of viewers. The storyline subsequently resulted in Gilly being found not guilty. Various critics have praised the character because of her "feisty and tough persona". Others have criticised her "chav" dress sense and accused her of being a "trollop". Cooper has received various award nominations for her portrayal. It was later announced that Cooper had quit Hollyoaks and Jacqui departed Hollyoaks on 26 April 2013. Cooper reprised the role in December 2023 for two episodes.