What happened to Lily in Hollyoaks and where is actress Lauren McQueen now?
6 May 2020, 18:36 | Updated: 6 May 2020, 18:41
Lily McQueen dies from sepsis in heartbreaking Hollyoaks episode
How did Lily die in Hollyoaks and who played her? Find out everything...
Lily McQueen left Hollyoaks over a year ago, but she's back on our screens for another classic episode of the Channel 4 soap.
The much-loved character - played by Lauren McQueen - tragically died as a result of contracting sepsis in April 2019.
But what happened to Lily in Hollyoaks and who played her? Find out everything...
What happened to Lily in Hollyoaks and how did she die?
Lily arrived in the village in January 2017, following the death of her mother, Babs.
She was the niece of Diane and stayed with her and Tony until she moved into her own place with husband Prince McQueen.
Lily's battle with self-harm has been a key storyline on the soap.
She began harming herself again in 2019 due to her guilt over cheating on husband Prince McQueen with new lover Romeo Quinn.
Read More: Why did Breda kill Harry in Hollyoaks and where is actor Parry Glasspool now?
In her final days on Hollyoaks, Lily was admitted to a mental health hospital after another relapse.
But after boyfriend Romeo told her he had to go on the run because he was wanted for Mac Nightingale's murder, Lily decided to run away with him and checked herself out of the hospital.
Meanwhile, doctors discovered from Lily's test results that she had sepsis which was spreading to her internal organs.
In her final episode, scenes flashed to and from memories of Lily's late mother, and real time with her and Romeo as they headed to the train station.
After an argument, Lily decided she would stay in Hollyoaks, before heading to the toilets feeling really unwell and collapsing on the floor.
Diane got to the station and found Lily on the floor of the toilets, but despite Prince McQueen trying to do CPR on her, it was too late.
The storyline won ‘Best Storyline’ and ‘Best Single Episode’ in the British Soap Awards 2018.
Who played Lily Drinkwell in Hollyoaks?
Lily was played by 23-year-old Liverpudlian actress Lauren McQueen.
She said of her exit: "I was honoured to be given such a huge story that carried a lot of responsibility.
"Even though it was challenging and emotional I really hope I did it justice and hope it raises a lot of awareness to the audience.”
She added: “I hope the storyline makes the audience aware of how serious self-harm is, and that the consequences can be life threatening.
Read More: Who is Nikki Sanderson, who did she play on Hollyoaks and who is she dating?
"Sepsis is actually very common, which many people may not know what the symptoms are, and it’s something that needs to be treated very quickly. I hope it opens up a lot of conversations and encourages people to talk and get help if they relate to Lily.”
Where is Lauren McQueen now?
Before her time on the soap, Lauren studied at Allstars Casting drama school and appeared as Yasmin Goody on the BBC One miniseries Good Cop as well as Rachel on CBBC’s 4 O'Clock Club.
After leaving Hollyoaks, Lauren went on to film the [second series of] Sky One drama Bulletproof with Noel Clarke and Ashley Walters.
She told the Radio Times at the time: "It's been great to be working on something straight away after Hollyoaks.
Judging by her Instagram, Lauren is also into singing, and regularly posts amazing videos of her favourite covers.
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