Hollyoaks star Gregory Finnegan says James and Liam won't stay together
Hollyoaks star Gregory Finnegan has revealed that the show won't be continuing James Nightingale and Liam Donovan's surprise relationship – at least for now.
James and Liam (Jude Monk McGowan) started having a surprise fling late last year, but the show has since revealed plans to revisit the lawyer's romantic connection with his ex-boyfriend John Paul McQueen (James Sutton).
Speaking to Digital Spy about his character's ever-complicated love life, Gregory delivered some bad news for fans of James and Liam.
"James has come back from his skiing trip, he's had his digital detox, and he has given it some thought. He's decided that it was a fling that was probably entered into for the wrong reasons," Gregory explained.
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"I know some people will probably be disappointed to hear that. Team Jiam seem to have a bit of traction! I don't think their relationship is going to carry on for too much longer."
Asked how he felt about the unexpected pairing, Gregory replied: "It was certainly a surprise when we found out that their fling was going to happen.
"We didn't realise that Liam was bisexual – that wasn't part of his character originally, so it was an interesting idea. Before we started filming, we weren't sure how it was going to go. You never are when you have these new on-screen romances.
"But I actually thought the relationship, the spark between them and the dialogue in the scripts was really well done. We had such a laugh filming and it ended up being a really great experiment.
"Story demands have meant that things have slightly gone down a different road, but you never know, we could come back to it."
Related: Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas confirms new fling storyline for Warren Fox
Gregory also spoke about the future for James and John Paul, warning that this could also lead to heartbreak.
Hollyoaks' 2020 trailer shows James and John Paul giving into temptation again, but it has also been confirmed that John Paul is getting a new love interest this year.
Gregory said: "There's definitely strong feelings between James and John Paul. They're going to give it a go, but with the things that James has done, their relationship is going to be under enormous amounts of strain. It may not last the course!
"Also, when you see the gorgeous new guy they've cast as John Paul's new love interest, then you'll understand why John Paul gives James the elbow and settles in with this new man. There could be a bit of heartbreak there, but James is well-versed in that."
Related: Hollyoaks airs shock exit for Sienna Blake – but will she be back?
Off-screen, Gregory is currently celebrating after reaching the shortlist for Best Actor at the upcoming National Television Awards.
Gregory told us: "It's exciting. I'm looking forward to going to the NTAs, as I've never been to the ceremony before. I gather that everyone has a good laugh, so it's exciting.
"I'm not expecting to win and to have to stand up on the night, I think it'll just be a lot of fun, really. There's a lovely group of folk going this year. Just getting through to the shortlist was a massive surprise to me, so whatever happens next will be great."
Gregory also addressed Hollyoaks' recent clean sweep in Digital Spy's reader awards, which included a triumph for James and Harry as the Best Soap Couple.
He said: "That was great. The whole Jarry storyline really took us all by surprise – the fact that people got behind it so much and are still pretty annoyed at some things that have happened!
"That was really cool and nice to have that recognised. The whole Digital Spy clean sweep was an utter shock to everyone here, so it was amazing."
Votes for the National Television Awards can be cast via the ceremony's official website. Hollyoaks airs weeknights at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first look screenings at 7pm on E4.
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