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.
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), and whether Gilly is guilty or innocent was decided by a jury composed of viewers. The storyline subsequently resulted in Gilly being found not guilty, although it is later revealed that he did rape her. 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.
Casting In May 2010, Cooper felt that she had been sidelined by former producer Lucy Allan and that Jacqui had lost her identity. New executive producer Paul Marquess also felt that Cooper had been under used. He decided to split Jacqui away from the rest of the McQueens, his reason for which being that there was so much "talent" in terms of acting within the family, he felt Cooper or Jacqui didn't need that "support system". He increased her role in storylines. This made Cooper delighted, of the changes she stated: "he seemed to like what I did and he's worked on it and developed it. Paul has really taken me under his wing, he's worked me so hard and he's given me opportunities that I could only have dreamt of." Speaking of her approach to playing Jacqui, Cooper has said: "I try to tame Claire back because I'm a really emotional, sensitive person and very different from Jacqui, so I do work hard and I feel very privileged."
Development
Characterisation Jacqui has been described as tough and hard. Holy Soap refers to her as a "tough ex-con". Jacqui often takes on the matriarch role. Jacqui deals with the sisters in a different way and can get different responses from the sisters. Cooper describes her as always being there to pick up the pieces for her family. She also states that Jacqui is very loyal and the most loyal character out of the McQueen family. Speaking of Jacqui's time away from forefront plots Cooper has said: "I think that Jacqui's one of those characters who, if she isn't on screen for a while, it takes the audience time to warm to her again. But when they do, they find her funny, they find her interesting and I try to give them as much as I can."
Jacqui has never had an affair in the serial, of her morality Cooper states: "It's all about family for Jacqui and she's never cheated on any of her sisters. She's got morals and this isn't good enough." Cooper has also spoke of her confusion of the audiences perception that Jacqui is "a bitch" when she has strong morals. Cooper has said she is proud of Jacqui's wardrobe because it is not glam. She brands her as the complete opposite of the "honey image" the serial sometimes becomes associated with. Describing how she plays Jacqui she states: "It's great playing Jacqui because I can just be completely grotesque and over the top, snarling and grunting."
BBC America describe Jacqui as being the toughest of the McQueen sisters and comment on her thieving ways stating: "She began the McQueens' shoplifting tradition, teaching her younger siblings how to steal while their mother was at work and basically putting stolen goods in Michaela's hands from birth."
Relationship with Tony Hutchinson Jacqui's relationship with Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard) was often strained by her desire for children. Her sister Tina McQueen (Leah Hackett) agrees to be a surrogate mother for her child. The storyline was included to help house many lies and secrets that had previously been built up prior, including Tony's affair with Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe) and Tina's affair with Russ Owen (Stuart Manning), of which Kirkwood stated there was "there's so much ammunition in store", which would eventually devastate Jacqui. Kirkwood also devised the plot to show of Coopers skills in playing tragedy, of this he commented: "It'll also give Claire Cooper and Nick Pickard another opportunity to show off their acting talents. Tony and Jacqui are one of those couples that we can have fun with - but also will blow the audience away when dealing with tragedy."
In a later storyline Tony announces his intentions to marry Cindy Hutchinson (Stephanie Waring), prompting Jacqui to try to talk Tony out of it. Cooper has stated that she believes that her character is meant to be with Tony because "he is the love of Jacqui's life" and that hearing their engagement makes Jacqui feel like she "has a knife in her back." Cooper also hopes one day that the pair will reunite stating: "Jacqui needs to move on right now, but ultimately I'd prefer the story to come full circle and lead back to Tony." Cooper also revealed that at the time she was often approached by fans asking her when the couple would reconcile. Pickard has also stated he didn't think Cindy was right for him and that he believed Jacqui to be the love of Tony's life.
Relationship with Rhys Ashworth In 2010, Jacqui embarked on a "surprise" relationship with Rhys Ashworth (Andrew Moss). Moss first hinted at their romance months prior stating: "I think Rhys is going to fall in love again. It's a character already in the village. It's quite surprising. It's a character who's been here for a while." The relationship proved popular with viewers; during an interview with Digital Spy, Cooper spoke of her original lack of optimism towards the pairing, stating: "When the relationship first started, we didn't know how they were going to gel and how it was going to work, because people were such fans of Jacqui and Tony. Some people still ask me if those two are going to get back together, but people are really taken with Rhys and Jacqui." Cooper believes it's her own working relationship with Moss that helps make the pairing a success stating: "It's a nice collaboration and we try to make it funny, emotional, hard-hitting, three-dimensional and as interesting for the audience as possible." She also adopted a "couple name" for the pair titled "Ja-Rhys".
Jacqui and Rhys were given the biggest storyline in spring 2011 in the serial, of this Marquess stated: "They have got the biggest story for the first half of 2011. I think it may be one of the biggest stories in Hollyoaks history. It's very, very serious and I think it will really divide the audience. It will really test them and their relationship to the nth degree, and we'll see whether they can recover from it."
King of Hearts In September 2010, it was announced that actor Darren Day had been cast as new character Danny Houston, described as a gangster who would "spell trouble for Jacqui". Danny takes a shine to Jacqui and they share a couple of dates; during an interview Day brands Danny's attraction to Danny being down to her feisty manner adding: "Jacqui stands up to him, and even though he's not used to it, I think he likes it. He's quite intrigued by the fact that she's so feisty and he likes that edginess about her."
It was later revealed that a special late night episode had been commissioned which would feature Jacqui. The storyline was described as "sinister" and would involve Danny and returnee Kathleen McQueen (Alison Burrows), as they rig a game of poker with dramatic consequences. Of her involvement in the episode, Cooper said, "I was really chuffed and felt very flattered and privileged to be given the opportunity to do so much."
The storyline involves Kathleen blackmailing the McQueens for money, threatening to reveal their roles in Calvin's murder. Kathleen is described as Jacqui's "worst enemy", with Cooper explaining that Jacqui hates Kathleen "with a passion - her worst enemy ever has been dragged back! It's funny and comedic at times, but then it can get deadly serious." Although she knows the risks of crossing Danny, she tries to fix the poker game; of this Cooper comments that "It's pure desperation" on Jacqui's behalf. When Danny exposes her, he threatens her with Rhys' life, stating if she does not sleep with him, he will kill Rhys. In a turn of events Jacqui turns him down. Cooper defends Jacqui's actions stating that she is a "bright girl" and adding "She doesn't want to sleep with him and also she knows he's not going to drop Rhys in front of so many people. So when he says it, she considers her options, weighs them up."
Jacqui faces more horror from Danny when she is threatened at knifepoint to strip for him; scared for her life, she complies. Speaking of Jacqui's sudden change of heart, Cooper explains, "He pulls out a knife. That changes the situation - the dynamic changes immediately. He could do something really horrible to her - it's not necessarily about killing someone, he could slash her face or anything. In a situation like that, your mind plays tricks as you wonder what someone could do to you." Cooper has spoken of her feelings of responsibility to portray it correctly and stated "I wanted to show how horrendous it was for Jacqui. She wonders whether she could die like this - all to protect her family…"
Sexual assault In December 2010, Channel 4 released a press statement which revealed Jacqui and Gilly Roach (Anthony Quinlan) would drunkenly cheat on Rhys together, after she finds out Rhys has slept with Cheryl Brady (Bronagh Waugh) and that the night's events would "change their lives forever". It was later announced that the storyline would see Jacqui accusing Gilly of raping her. The storyline received much coverage in various tabloid newspapers who also branded it as a "shock plot" for the serial. None of the cast members involved in the storyline knew if Jacqui had actually been raped, of this Cooper states: 'They're telling the same story but are looking at it from different angles. Just who to believe is a very grey area. It will split the village and the viewers. We don't know what happened that night, We've just been told that our characters each think they're telling the truth. [Anthony] and I have talked about it a lot. I even read his scripts to try to work it out. The outcome will be a surprise for both of us.'