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Exclusive: Hollyoaks star Rory Douglas-Speed on possible reunion for Joel and Cleo

Hollyoaks spoilers follow.

Hollyoaks star Rory Douglas-Speed has spoken to Digital Spy about a possible reunion for Joel Dexter and Cleo McQueen.

Next week's episodes see the former couple share a kiss as they both fear for Cleo's safety following threats from Joel's father Warren Fox.

When Joel warns Cleo that Warren has made a death threat against her, they get caught up in the moment as old feelings are revisited.

In real life, Rory and Nadine Mulkerrin, who plays Cleo, have been a couple since 2017 and have a 1-year-old son Reggie together. As they don't need to social distance on set, the Joel and Cleo kiss was filmed without the usual restrictions.

Photo credit: Lime Pictures
Photo credit: Lime Pictures

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In an exclusive video chat with Digital Spy, which can be viewed in full at the top of the page, Rory hinted that Joel and Cleo won't be reuniting following the kiss.

He told us: "I don't think that's what the writers were going for. That was my worry because I thought: 'I hope this isn't the rekindling of a relationship through something like this, because Cleo and Joel have already done that before, three or four times'.

"I think it was important to get the energy of that scene right, so it was just a fleeting moment and just a glimpse of what they used to be like. Those volatile situations they used to be in, always seemed to weirdly get them going.

"It was just a glimmer of that. Cleo is happy with Toby – or for the time being, anyway. We don't know what will happen in the future.

Photo credit: Lime Pictures
Photo credit: Lime Pictures

Related: 12 huge Hollyoaks spoilers for next week

"But for the moment, Joel has completely overstepped the mark here, in my opinion. He's worried and there is that 'blast from the past' moment between the two of them. They've got a lot of history."

However, Rory also wasn't ruling out a reconciliation in better circumstances in the future.

He said: "I think ultimately that's probably what the endgame will be, but I don't know when that can be, with so many different things going on.

"I think it'd be a nice journey but it'd be nice for it to be done in organic circumstances. How the writers go about that, I don't know. But obviously it's a soap, usually things have to happen that are pretty big for two characters to then come together.

Photo credit: Lime Pictures
Photo credit: Lime Pictures

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"But I think I share everyone's belief that it'd be so nice if Cleo and Joel can just have that friendship that everyone craves first. Less is more and you want them to get together because they're not together.

"I think that's what's really important going forward."

Rory also joked that he always suspected Joel and Cleo would kiss as Hollyoaks is currently unable to film similar scenes with the other cast members.

He laughed: "It was exactly that! It was: 'Right, when are they going to do it, how are they going to do it? They're going to want some passion!'

"Right enough, it just popped up in the script one day. I got a bit nervous about it, to be honest. Everyone on set felt it as well, because we've always been two metres apart."

Hollyoaks airs weeknights at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first look screenings at 7pm on E4.


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