Hollyoaks star Theo Graham has opened up about playing Hunter McQueen and how he prepared for his character's battle with anxiety
In support of our Where's Your Head At campaign we spoke to Hollyoaks star Theo Graham whose character Hunter McQueen is currently battling with his mental health.
Since first joining the show back in 2016 the teenager has been involved in a lot of drama in Hollyoaks.
After sleeping with his teacher Neeta Kaur (Amrit Maghera) during a school trip in Ibiza, they went on to have a forbidden affair behind her partner Mac Nightingale's (David Easter0 back.
Viewers had to wave goodbye to the teacher after she was killed in that horrific Hollyoaks High School explosion. Although she's left the village she continues to live on and it's become clear that Hunter is struggling as he's been battling anxiety issues, with Yasmine Maalik attempting to help him with his panic attacks.
Check out: A look back at all the soap stars who tried to crack Hollywood and while some succeed, others err, failed...
The soap stars who tried to crack Hollywood - slider
1 of 14Emmett J Scanlan
He played the infamous villain on Hollyoaks but Brendan Brady soon turned into the good guy following his relationship with Ste Hay.However in 2013 he left the Channel 4 show and has since appeared in Peaky Blinders, Gangs of London and Guardian's of the Galaxy as the head riot guard.
2 of 14Adele Silva
Adele left the role of Kelly Windsor in Emmerdale in 2007 in an attempt to crack America.But, instead of setting Hollywood alight, in 2010 she was pictured working in a Ted Baker store in LA. She then returned to Emmerdale as Kelly in 2011 but left shortly after.
3 of 14Nikki Sanderson
Everyone knows Nikki as mouthy hairdresser Candice from Coronation Street. After leaving the cobbles she tried her hand at success across the pond – to lukewarm reception. She managed to land a role in film Boogeyman 3, but sadly for Nikki it went straight to DVD.Fast forward to 2012 and she joined the cast of Hollyoaks as Maxine Minniver.
4 of 14Nathalie Emmanuel
She shot to fame in this country as Sasha Valentine on the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, but since her exit in 2010 she's managed to find fame stateside.As well as an appearance in the Fast and Furious franchise, Nathalie, landed a role in Game of Thrones as interpreter Missandei. She also features in the second film in the Maze Runner trilogy, The Scorch Trials.
5 of 14Ricky Whittle
Another Valentine sibling to swap Hollyoaks for Hollywood was Ricky who played Calvin from 2006 until 2011. Unfortunately he was shot dead on his wedding day by Theresa McQueen.He has since starred in The CW Network series The 100, playing Lincoln, and American God where he has taken on the role of Shadow Moon.
6 of 14Ben Hardy
This is one actor who has well and truly swapped Walford for Hollywood.After his shock departure from EastEnders, in which he played Peter Beale aka Ian Beale's son, Ben landed a role in X-Men: Apocalypse – an actual main, speaking part. He's also appeared in Bohemian Rhapsody, Mary Shelley and Netflix's movie 6 Underground.
7 of 14Sam Strike
Another EastEnders alumni, Sam quit his role as Johnny Carter in 2014 and went on to star in British drama film Bonded By Blood 2.He later made his Hollywood debut in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel Leatherface and has since played a serial rapist in the Netflix show Mindhunter.
8 of 14Robert Kazinsky
Rob played EastEnders favourite Sean Slater from 2006 until 2009, but got his big American break when he was cast in the hit vampire series True Blood, playing Macklyn Warlow. He then appeared in Pacific Rim, Warcraft and Captain Marvel.Rob returned to EastEnders for a brief stint in 2019 but viewers are yet to see him make another comeback.
9 of 14Patsy Palmer
We loved Patsy as Bianca in EastEnders, but she left the soap in 2014 to pursue her American dream.While she's yet to be cast in any major roles, Patsy did manage to land a job in a Best Buy advert. Well everyone's got to start somewhere, haven't they?And despite being an actress turned DJ, it's Patsy's children that have made it big in the US.
10 of 14Lacey Turner
She's well known for playing Stacey Slater in EastEnders but in 2010 Lacey bowed out of the show after her onscreen character fled the country after killing Archie Mitchell.Ahh throwback.Following her departure from the show, Lacey played the part of a witch in ITV2's show Switch but it wasn't long before she reprised her role as Stacey.In 2014 she headed back onto the square and finally confessed to the police that she killed Archie.
11 of 14Michelle Keegan
Coronation Street fans will remember where Michelle Keegan first started on TV and it was on the Cobbles.The actress played Tina McIntyre and during her time on the show she hid her abortion from David Platt, she tried to keep Gary and Izzy's baby after she was their surrogate and she was left devastated after her dad faked his own death but ended up actually dying.It's safe to say that she went out with a bang, after all Rob Donovan pushed her off a balcony.After leaving the ITV show, Michelle went on to star in Tina and Bobby, Our Girl and Brassic.
12 of 14Rachel Shenton
From 2010 to 2013 Rachel Shenton starred in Hollyoaks as Mitzeee Minniver. The feisty character left the show and moved to America upon discovering she's five months pregnant with Riley Costello's baby.After leaving the Oaks, Rachel went on to star in Switched at Birth and White Gold. However, it was in 2018 when she won an Oscar for her short movie The Silent Child, in which she wrote and starred in.
13 of 14Martine McCutcheon
She's well known for playing Tiffany Mitchell in EastEnders but after Frank Butcher ran her over outside the Queen Vic she died.Fast forward a few years and Martine McCutcheon played Natalie in Love Actually. You know, the movie that everyone goes crazy about around Christmas time.She's also appeared in Agatha Christie's Marple, Midsomer Murders and as a panelist on Loose Women.
14 of 14Roxanne McKee
Roxanne first graced our screen as Louise Summer's in Hollyoaks. During her time in the village she cheated on Calvin Valentine with Warren Fox, had an abortion after not know who her baby daddy was and was murdered by her fiancé Warren Fox on their wedding night.Cute.After leaving the Channel 4 show, Roxanne went on appear in EastEnders: E20, Vendetta and Game of Thrones. In the popular HBO programme, she played Doreah; you know the woman who betrayed Daenerys with Xaro and was left to die in the vault with him.How charming?
Speaking exclusively to Closer Online about his onscreen character having panic attacks, Theo admitted he's never actually had one himself: "For me having to portray that on screen was a bit daunting...
"I carried out my research beforehand and spoke to people who have experienced them. I felt prepared, the last thing I wanted to do was go on set and film something that came across the complete opposite to what people with anxiety go through."
He went on to admit that he does feel embarrassed to admit that he's struggling with stress, "I’m not the type of person that wants to offload my problems or struggles onto anyone else but I do strongly believe that it is important to open up to someone you trust if you're going through a bit of a tough time no matter how difficult it may be.
"The problem will only get worse so don’t be ashamed! You’re not on your own."
The 20-year-old actor bravely admitted that three years ago the hardest emotional battle he's ever faced was when his mum nearly died.
"I was 17 and remember having to leave college early to go to the hospital. At the time I didn’t realise how serious it was but seeing my family that upset and to see my mum in pain broke my heart and damaged my mental state quite a bit.
"Fortunately things got better in the end but what I took away from that experience was to never take her for granted and to go out of my way a lot more to do the little things like tell her how much I appreciate and love her."
Opening up about his home life, the actor admitted that the only thing that keeps him up at night is "wasted time".
He told us: "It helps me sleep better knowing I’ve had a busy/productive day and that I’ve used my time wisely as oppose to having time on my hands and not using it to do something that’s going to help me move forward!"
Since joining the Channel 4 soap back in 2016, Theo has been thrown into the spotlight and almost has 100k followers on Instagram. Luckily though, his friends and family are "very supportive" and he told us: "They constantly remind me not to take anything for granted so I always bare that in mind and I try my best to remain a nice, respectful and hardworking individual.
"After all that’s what got me this far."
Speaking of Instagram, Theo admitted that although there are disadvantages to social media it's definitely been "extremely beneficial to my career as an actor".
Although, he added: "I think as long as you find the balance and don’t get to attached it’s a wonderful thing."
He's currently on Channel 4's infamous soap Hollyoaks but Theo has admitted the secret to happiness is actually "being comfortable within your own skin and being proud of the person you are as oppose to the person you're not."
He added: "For me, it’s important to know your worth and know that every individual is different. How boring would life be if everyone was the same!"
Statistics have found that 86 per cent of people agree that mental health is one of the biggest challenges facing the country. Here at Closer we want to encourage you to take time to talk about your emotions openly, so please sign our Where's Your Head At petition to make having a mental health first aider in EVERY workplace a legal requirement.
WATCH: Hollyoaks stars, Stacey Solomon and Danielle Lloyd reveal the advice they'd give their teenage self
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