Hollyoaks residents are broken and reeling following the tragic death of Lily McQueen (Lauren McQueen), with Diane Hutchinson (Alex Fletcher) desperately trying to search for answers and assign blame. Lily died after sepsis caused by infected self harm wounds attacked her organs and those who loved her are trying to pick up the pieces tonight in a harrowing aftermath. Diane initially thinks that the war between Prince (Malique Thompson-Dwyer) and Romeo Quinn (Owen Warner) was the trigger for what Lily went through. With Diane weeping that she was getting better in Wales until she returned to the village, Tony (Nick Pickard) tries to point out that she was under a lot of other pressures so Diane wonders if he is trying to say it’s her fault for encouraging her to do well at school. Tony clears this up by saying that sometimes bad things happen to people and there’s nothing you can do to stop it but a tearful Sinead O’Connor (Stephanie Davis) then pipes up to confess about the conversation she had with Lily before she fled the village. Diane is left stunned by Sinead’s admission but can she forgive her? And can Sinead forgive herself? (Picture: Lime Pictures) Meanwhile, Prince can’t get his head around the loss of his wife and Malique recently warned us that it was going to lead his broken character down a very dark path. He explained: ‘Prince is distraught as he feels like he’s let her down. He’s meant to be there for her and he wasn’t. He didn’t get there in time to save her. He will definitely try and seek revenge. Prince and his emotional self can’t control his anger. He can’t control his emotions so after this he’s going to lose his mind. ‘Prince is on the borderline right now. He’s losing it a little bit. Let’s just say he’s turning over to the dark side…’ Hollyoaks airs these scenes on Thursday 11th April at 7pm on E4. You can find more information and support around Sepsis by visiting the website of UK Sepsis Trust. The charity Mind offers support to people dealing with mental health struggles as well as information and Samaritans operates a 24 hour a day helpline for anyone affected by mental health or worries of any kind. It can be reached confidentially on 116 123.<doc-sep>(Picture: Lime Pictures) Ten years ago, showing a main character dying as the result of a mental illness on a prominent TV show pre-watershed would have been unthinkable. Tonight’s episode of Hollyoaks, which saw Lily McQueen, played sensationally by star in the making Lauren McQueen, was a harrowing watch and I don’t know about you, but it left me in one hell of a blubbering mess. It was meant to of course. In order to plan any content in my capacity as soaps editor around these important episodes, I watched them in advance – the whole week as a block. Think of it as the most horrific Hollyoaks omnibus Sunday ever, something which makes your hangover pale into insignificance. Normally, when I watch soap episodes in advance, I will do it while eating my lunch at my desk (what an animal!) and will take notes with my right hand and stuff pasta down my throat with my left. These episodes were different. I have long spoken about my own issues with depression and have self harmed in the past – when I was around Lily’s age. I identify a lot with Lily. Both on my own gut instinct and on the advice of a member of the Hollyoaks team, I had someone with me when I watched these. A huge percentage – over 40% I’m told – watch Hollyoaks with someone so automatically, 40% of people are right now having a discussion about self harm. Something which was previously unheard of. These episodes were deeply upsetting and many will question whether Hollyoaks were right to kill Lily off. Will it serve to frighten those addicted to self harm? Is it showing too bleak an outcome to a story carrying such responsibility? Or was it the right thing to do? It’s a delicate balancing act for a programme that works with compliance more times than they breathe in a day to get things right. With charities and survivors involved, they eventually reached that hard decision to break that barrier and show that these situations don’t always have happy endings. Sometimes there are very real and very devastating consequences. The beauty of this story (if that’s an appropriate word to use) is that teenagers watching will be viewing it either from Lily’s perspective as they have been there or from the perspective of her friends Yazz and Peri who made mistakes but meant well or even her love interests Prince and Romeo who too made errors. And the adults would have watched from Diane’s perspective, while also learning about the additional pressures young people face in the modern world. And when they all lost Lily – no matter whether you are Diane, Prince or you feel like Lily yourself – that moment spliced with hauntingly appropriate poetry and music by Hussain Manawer (seriously, check out that guy’s previous work if you fancy a few thousand goosebumps) it will have hit like a punch to the gut. (Picture: Lime Pictures) Hollyoaks had a tricky task when embarking on the journey of a self harm story. They had to ensure it wasn’t overly triggering so had to use language and themes sensitively. They had to avoid giving ideas to vulnerable viewers, which is why at no point was Lily shown to actually self harm directly on screen, it was always implied. And they also had to make sure they didn’t romantacise self harm in that Lily got the love and attention from it and then suddenly got better. Basically, doing that might have implied that self harm works which it most certainly doesn’t. It’s an agonising trap – a cycle of addiction with a risk higher than I ever knew when I did it. Hollyoaks had to juggle all of this when deciding to kill Lily off and this is one of those soap moments that will stay with viewers forever. Much like Aidan’s death from Coronation Street, soaps are recognising that they have to sometimes tell a realistic and brutal ending to a story like this rather than allowing a solution to every character. Because that would be saying that we have beaten mental illness and the fight is over. Sure, we have made progress so we have to keep telling the stories of recovery of Scott Drinkwell and Cleo McQueen. But we have a long way to go and can’t pretend that everything has an easy fix or, even worse, imply that something as complex as self harm which is so personal and different for everyone in its grips is something trivial. It robbed Lily of a bright future. A young, kind hearted, intelligent, shining individual with a career and happiness all within her grasp. She needed help. But it came too late and, like the terrifying statistics around mental health and around male suicides for example, something has to be done. Media like television, particularly soap, has a duty to its audience to be both entertaining and respectfully honest about what is happening in the world. Lily’s story will resonate and open that difficult discussion at the water coolers and in the playground about self harm. On average 1 in 3 people who contract sepsis do not survive and 10% of sepsis cases are a result of self harm. (Picture: Lime Pictures) Yet again, Hollyoaks has bravely refused to take the easy option here and has opened itself up to inevitable calls that by killing Lily, they are sending out the wrong messages. But in showing the mistakes made by Lily and those around us, they are helping us to see that we have the power to change ourselves and not make the same ones. Ask someone if they’re okay and then ask them again. REALLY ask them. Bear in mind, everyone has a battle they are fighting, so be kind. A scar on an arm hides more agony than can physically be manifested. And whether through sepsis in Lily’s case or through the progression of depression or other mental health conditions that often accompany self harm, it kills. We need to be talking about this. Constantly. Bravo to Hollyoaks for once again opening up that important discussion. And well done for being bold when we need to be bolder than ever in our approach to the prevalent disease of mental health conditions eroding those around us. We all know a Lily, a Scott or a Cleo. More than one most likely. And 1 in 4 of us ARE one. Instead of taking to Twitter to bemoan your favourite fictional character being killed off or accusing the show of dramatising a mental health issue, let’s take stock and think first about why it was necessary. Lily HAD to die for us to have this discussion properly. The character’s legacy will be felt far harder now and will change lives. It has already gone some ways to altering mine. Lily may be gone, but the issue, thanks to this devastating outcome, is far from forgotten. You can vote for Lauren and all things Hollyoaks at the British Soap Awards, for which the longlist has now opened. If you would like further information, support or guidance, you can contact Mind on 0300 123 3393 or by visiting their website. You can find out more about sepsis by visiting the website of the UK Sepsis Trust.<doc-sep>HOLLYOAKS fans were left in tears tonight as Lily McQueen tragically died from an infected self-harm wound in heartbreaking scenes. Her final moments shown in tonight's show touched viewers who praised the soap for the way they handled the tough subject. 7 Lily McQueen died of sepsis in tonight's episode of Hollyoaks Lily - played by 22-year-old Lauren McQueen - died of sepsis after she struggled to stop hurting herself, despite pleas from her friends and family. One viewer said: "OMG I’m in tears! Such an incredible actress @Lauren_McQueen and you did the storyline justice! Best of luck for the future #Hollyoaks" Another added: "Can't hold the tears back anymore #Hollyoaks." Someone else said: "In bloody tears at Lily's death!! So upsetting! #Hollyoaks." 7 She took ill in the toilets after her self-harm wounds got infected 7 Despite her family rushing to get to her, she died on the floor of the toilets 7 Another commented: "@Lauren_McQueen you’ve been amazing as Lily, I’m in tears watching her/your exit! #Hollyoaks Such an important story to tell and you’ve done it brilliantly, can’t wait to see what you do next! X" A fan added: "Omg the tears are trickling me watching @Hollyoaks , she choose prince and he never got to hear it from her , my hearts broke #Hollyoaks." Lily was planning to leave the village with Romeo Quinn but the stress of the situation triggered her self-harming again. 7 Lily was planning to runaway with Romeo as he flees the UK as a wanted criminal Credit: CHANNEL 4 PICTURE PUBLIC 7 Lauren has said that Lily will second-guess whether ex Prince is her soulmate Credit: Lime Pictures The character had second thoughts about running away, second-guessing whether her ex Prince is her soulmate. The Sun Online exclusively revealed how Lauren had decided to quit her role as the troubled teenager earlier this month. Lauren then said in a statement: "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. 7 Lauren's departure will play out over the next few months. Credit: Lime Pictures "I hope the storyline makes the audience aware of how serious self-harm is, and that the consequences can be life threatening. She continued: "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." Hollyoaks' Prince McQueen and Romeo Quinn strip off in the middle of a storm MOST READ TV AND SHOWBIZ KIM'S NEW KRUSH The men lining up to be Kim K's next partner as Kanye ‘dates Irina Shayk’ JOSS PERFECT Jac Jossa shows off her tiny waist after weight loss in pretty summer dresses 'WE'LL SEE' Louise Redknapp revealed Jamie wanted another baby when she was on Strictly GRANDE AFFAIR Ariana dazzles in white gown as she shares private pics from secret wedding a wright treat! Mark Wright gives fans tour of new £2,400 a night home with Michelle Keegan Exclusive ARG-AIN James ‘Arg’ Argent's set to reunite with 'love of his life' ex Lydia Bright She has played student Lily since January 2017 and has been involved in some of the show's most high profile plots. Lily's self-harming storyline has been credited with raising awareness of the problem with teenagers across the country. It recently returned to prominence when she began self-harming after being put under a huge amount of stress in her personal life. The Channel 4 soap has been working with the UK charity Sepsis Trust to depict the storyline correctly. Got a story? email digishowbiz@the-sun.co.uk or call us direct on 02077824220. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.<doc-sep>
(Picture: Lime Pictures) Hollyoaks has tonight aired devastating scenes which saw Lily McQueen (Lauren McQueen) die after her self harm led to a fatal sepsis infection. The show has been carefully planning the heartbreaking exit storyline and now that Lily is dead, her family and friends are left with grief, guilt and helplessness. Lily had decided to flee the hospital after initially seeking help for her self harm. She had felt trapped within the clinic and eventually was persuaded by Romeo Quinn (Owen Warner) to run away with him, which she had found to be an exciting prospect. But meanwhile, test results came back which showed she had sepsis and it was spreading to her organs – she needed to be found quickly. Tony and Diane Hutchinson (Nick Pickard and Alex Fletcher) along with Lily’s husband Prince (Malique Thompson-Dwyer) tried desperately to find her and found out from her friends Peri Lomax (Ruby O’Donnell) and Yasmine Maalik (Haiesha Mistry) where had went. As Lily started to become more pale and exhausted, she started to question her decision and Romeo was also horrified to see that she was still self harming. She had promised she would stop once they start their new life but realised that life on the run was not going to be any less stressful. It also hit home to her that it was Prince that her heart lay with but as she went to the bathroom, she passed out just as her family arrived. prince desperately tried to save her but the truth dawned on them and Diane broke down as it became clear that Lily was lost to them forever. Speaking about her exit and why it was right for Lily to die, Lauren exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘I think it gave the writers the chance to show the audience the consequences of self harm and how it can be life threatening. Hollyoaks aren’t afraid of confronting storylines like this which is what I’ve loved about being involved. ‘I think everyone will find it shocking because you have never seen anyone die through self harm in any other soap. I think taking the storyline further is going to be eye opening to the audience and open conversations which we need to be having to raise awareness and stop the stigma of mental health.’ You can vote for Lauren and all things Hollyoaks at the British Soap Awards, for which the longlist has now opened. If you would like further information, support or guidance, you can contact Mind on 0300 123 3393 or by visiting their website. You can find out more about sepsis by visiting the website of the UK Sepsis Trust.