Brooke Vincent has made her debut on Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, playing drug counsellor Abigail Matthews, and has confirmed she will remain on the show for a full year. The actress, best known for her role as Sophie Webster on Coronation Street, told The Sun's TV Mag: 'I’m here for 12 months, so there’s room for Abigail’s story to develop.'
New role and character details
Abigail Matthews is assigned to help Dee Dee Hutchinson (Chloe Atkinson), who was admitted to rehab by Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard) for ketamine use. Brooke's first scenes aired this week, and she has already hinted at what fans can expect. In an interview with Inside Soap, she revealed that her character follows Dee Dee back to the village after she escapes rehab. 'Dee Dee’s going through a time where she desperately needs stability and guidance, and Abigail steps in and does that at rehab. When Dee Dee escapes, Abigail wants to make sure that she gets home okay, so she follows her to the village. Instantly she forms connections and makes friends, which is a really good way of coming in.'
A different character from Sophie Webster
Brooke emphasised that Abigail is a departure from her previous soap role. 'She’s miles away from Sophie Webster! The best thing is that she’s completely different to what people have seen me play, and it’s a big part for me coming in to a more mature role. I’ve always played the young girl; Sophie was the baby of the family. Abigail stands her ground with whatever she says, and I’m having lots of fun playing her.'
Brooke's career and personal life
Before joining Hollyoaks, Brooke focused on podcasts, her own business, and raising her two young sons, Mexx, six, and Monroe, five, with footballer partner Kean Bryan. She also appeared on the ITV reality series Drama Queens alongside other soap stars. Discussing her ideal work-life balance, Brooke said: 'My aim in life is to have the Adele ratio of working a couple of years, having loads of time off, then working again for a couple of years. That’s not yet happened…' She played Sophie Webster from age 11 until her exit in 2019, returning to soaps with this new role.
