Lauren McQueen was "really shocked" to find out she was being killed off in ‘Hollyoaks’.
The 22-year-old star was stunned to discover her alter-ego Lily McQueen will contract sepsis and die suddenly next week, but the actress was able to turn to her real-life friend for advice on the storyline because her pal has recovered from the life-threatening condition, also referred to as blood poisoning, twice.
Speaking about her exit, she said: "I was really shocked, to be honest.
"Lily’s been through so much, and everyone just wants her to have a happy ending. That would have been the easy way to go out of the show, though – I knew this story would be challenging for me, and I wanted to do it justice.
"I’ve got a friend who has recovered from sepsis twice, so she really helped me to understand how it affected her, and gave me a detailed response of how she felt at the time.
"That really helped with the physical side of it".
Lauren’s time on the Channel 4 soap will come to an end on April 10th in an emotional E4 episode which will see Lily admit herself to a mental health facility, but she will run away before doctors get the chance to tell her she has sepsis.
And the star couldn’t help but get emotional shooting her final scenes.
She added to Inside Soap magazine: "I was in tears reading my final episodes.
"It’s a huge storyline to go out on."
Lauren recently admitted she hopes the hard-hitting plot will raise awareness of sepsis.
She said: "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.
"I hope the storyline makes the audience aware of how serious self-harm is, and that the consequences can be life threatening. 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."
Lauren McQueen ‘shocked’ by Hollyoaks death
