Amy Barnes

Infobox soap character
series =Hollyoaks



name=Amy Barnes
portrayer=Ashley Slanina-Davies
first=November 2005 -
born=20 July 1991
occupation=High School Student
parents=Mike Barnes
Kathy Barnes
siblings=Sarah Barnes
children=Leah Barnes
romances=Ste Hay (ex-boyfriend)
Billy (Father of Leah) (one night stand)
Josh Ashworth (boyfriend)

Amy Barnes is a fictional character on the long-running Channel 4 British television soap opera "Hollyoaks".

She is played by actress Ashley Slanina-Davies.

Amy has led a troubled youth due to the easiness of leading her astray, and as such she's not always held in the best regard by the rest of her family. Her parents have endured something of a fractious relationship. She is mostly led astray by her on-off best friend Michaela McQueen. She has been involved in a relationship with Josh Ashworth and more recently Ste Hay.

Character history

Amy first appeared in the show being dragged along to her sister Sarah's swimming training. She was bored and jealous of the attention Sarah was getting from being a successful swimmer. At school Amy became friends with Michaela McQueen, Josh Ashworth and Josh's Cousin Jamie "Fletch" Fletcher.

Michaela introduced Amy to her boyfriend Wayne Tunnicliffe's best friend Ste Hay, who Amy then began to go out with. Michaela pressured Amy into having sex with Ste, and somewhat reluctantly, she ended up losing her virginity in the back of Ste's older brother's car. This sexual encounter was the one and only of Amy and Ste's short lived relationship.

This was the start of a highly turbulent period in Amy's life with Amy and Michaela descending into shoplifting, under-age drinking and promiscuity. After one session of under-age drinking, on her 15th Birthday, Amy met a boy called Billy. They then had unprotected sex in the bushes in a park, before returning home drunk. Amy fell pregnant from this sexual encounter. Michaela contacted Billy and took Amy and Sasha with her to meet him. There, Amy was reluctant to tell him of her pregnancy especially when Billy's memory of their encounter was so hazy Michaela had to remind him of Amy's name. Michaela told Billy about Amy's pregnancy but Billy hurriedly rejected any involvement with the child. He told Amy and Michaela that he wasn't worried anybody would find out he was the father as everyone knew "they're slags". Amy was left to face her pregnancy alone. This was Billy's last appearance on the soap. Amy struggled to tell her family her news, a situation exacerbated by her mother's affair with Rhys Ashworth, and toyed with the idea of having an abortion, before deciding to keep her unborn child. Rebelling in attempt to forget her situation, she briefly got back with Ste Hay, with whom she often took part in joyriding and truancy. As a consequence of his joyriding, he crashed a car and Amy was left unconscious in hospital.

Josh's mum Suzanne Ashworth, who was working as a nurse at the hospital, found out about Amy's pregnancy and tried to persuade her to tell her parents, but Amy still refused. Together they listened for the baby's heartbeat, and they confirmed that the baby was still alive. Amy soon recovered and went to a court hearing where she, Michaela, Josh and Fletch were all sentenced to community service as a result of their joyriding.

Josh and Amy became close after working together on a school project, shortly after their community service. Developing feelings for Amy, Josh bought her a present and took the risk of asking her out. Following this, after asking her for help with his algebra, Josh surprised her with a family dinner. Amy felt the pressure as Suzanne hinted for her to reveal her secret, before warning her to stay away from Josh. A short break-up ensued, before Josh regained her affections by singing a song called "I'm in Love" for her at Josh's sister, Hannah Ashworth's 18th birthday party.

Baby Leah

Amy started feeling stomach pains at school. When Josh saw her in pain, she told him it was PMS. Amy's water broke on another occasion at Josh's house, leaving Josh to assume she had wet herself. Amy's dad Mike and sister Sarah delivered Amy's daughter on the kitchen floor. Initially, the family decided that Kathy would claim to be the mother; and Amy told her classmates she had a new baby sister, despite both Michaela, Sarah and her dad trying to convince her to claim the baby as her own. Amy named the baby Leah. However, in time Amy grew closer to Leah, causing controversy as Kathy had grown deluded and come to see Leah as her own daughter. The birth of Leah also caused a great deal of controversy with Amy's father Mike, who found it hard to accept. Mike forced Amy to take the contraceptive pill and to split up with Josh, who he assumed was the father of Amy's child. Mike later found a condom on the floor, leading him to believe that Amy and Josh had been sleeping together; leading him to confront Josh throwing him on a pile of bricks saying he was "going to kill" him for "what he's done", before Josh hit Mike over the head with a brick in self defence.

Once Mike had regained consciousness & his memory, Mike blackmailed Josh into leaving Amy by threatening to tell the police of his assault. Suzanne then blackmailed Mike, threatening to break the news that baby Leah was in fact, Amy's baby. As a result of constant argument with their respective sets of parents, Josh and Amy briefly ran away and lived, unsuccessfully, as squatters. When Amy called her sister Sarah for financial support, she told the police about her sisters whereabouts and while Amy was taken home, Josh was taken into custody for his assault on Mike. Amy was distraught and couldn't quite believe that Josh had any hand in hurting her father. However, over time, the two rebuilt their relationship, still against the wishes of their parents.

On Amy's 16th birthday, encouraged by her improving relationship with Josh and the respite in parental pressure upon them, Amy decided to publicly tell Josh that the baby was indeed hers; leading Josh to end their relationship. With renewed confidence, despite the break up, Amy decided it was time she took control of her life and become a real mother to her baby daughter. In her still-deluded state, Amy's mother Kathy began hiding things that Leah needed and purposefully burning clothes Amy was ironing, in order to try and make Amy look incapable of looking after the baby. At Kathy's lowest point, she kidnapped Leah, in the delusional belief that Leah was, in fact, her own baby. Kathy believes that Amy & Sarah are "selfish" and she is depressed and confused about how quickly they have grown up and no longer need her support - this is possibly why she is clinging to the idea of having a new baby daughter; a fresh start. After finding Kathy & Leah in a park and successfully retrieving the baby from her mother's arms saying to Mike and Sarah to "Get her away from me and Leah!". Amy stated "I don't want to talk to mum leave her alone!" She said this when Mike and Sarah said that next time they go and see Kathy, Amy should go with them she also said "Yeah that's me always putting my daughter first. I am so selfish!" when Sarah called Amy selfish for not wanting to see her mother.

Due to the stress she was put through in the past year, Amy failed all of her GCSEs therefore having to retake her exams during her first year of sixth form.

She managed to resolve the arguments between her best friends Sasha and Michaela over Fletch.

Return of an old flame

On 26th September 2007, Ste returned. He followed Amy home and shocked her by making an appearance whilst she was looking after Leah, but she threw him out and told him she didn't want to see him. The next day, Amy was meant to be seeing Josh, but he couldn't leave his mum because of his sister (Hannah) being in hospital. He stood her up so Amy went in search of Ste.

When she found him, she shouted at him, asking him how could he leave her for dead in a car crash, whilst she was pregnant, but later warmed to him when he told her he had changed. Josh, meanwhile, had left a note on her doorstep telling Amy how sorry he was, and hoped he could forgive her. Amy never saw this note, as she accidentally kicked away the rock holding it down as the was getting Leah's pram through the door, and the note blew away.

Amy started visiting Ste in his squat and bringing him food, as she obviously felt bad for him and his situation. He asked her about Josh, and she informed him that they were finished, which he took to mean she had finished with Josh to be with him. He tried to kiss her but she recoils, and explains that after everything that happened she was not interested in him like that any more. He explains that he has changed - and she tells him that she has too. She has grown up "Because I had to". This is momentous, as Amy had for a long time been acting like a spoiled brat, but has recently emerged as a responsible and thoughtful young woman.

Relationship with Ste

Amy and Michaela organised a party, as Amy's parents were away. This resulted in Michaela advertising the party details on the internet. Later, when the party was under way many unwanted guests turned up including Wayne. He got drunk and started pinching stuff from the house. He went into Amy's room and disturbed Leah whilst pinching CDs. Amy then burst in, along with Ste, and Kathy, about the vendetta against the Ashworths. Kathy admitted it was her saying that Josh had taken her Amy away from her and almost killed Mike (referring to when he hit him over the head with a brick) and Rhys had stopped Sarah from competing in the Olympics. She was then arrested and spent the night in the cells. The next day was Ste's 18th birthday. His mother came to visit and Ste was angered by this. As revenge, he let Amy's mother in when earlier in the day Amy had said how she never wanted to see Kathy again. Amy and Kathy argued and Kathy ended up been thrown out. Amy introduced Leah to her 'grandmother' (as The lie begins to spread around the town and eventually Amy finds out and the next thing she knows she begins to receive presents from Nancy Hayton who's nephew, Charlie actually has Leukaemia. She swears that she will tell her father that it is a lie, but could not, as her father finally had begun treating her like his daughter again. Later, it gets worse as Warren Fox donates Amy and Ste a Cheque to help out. After, Amy realises that she doesn't have the heart to break the truth to people she decides to go along with it and use Warren's cheque to buy food and things for hospital to see Leah. They phoned Amy after the nurses could not find any records of a Leah Barnes, and Amy realised the game was up. She went to the hospital o a room at the back and explained what they had decided. Mike was disgusted and blurted out that it had been a lie all along. Amy and Ste left in shame, with Leah. The next day, Nancy came around and asked why they had done it. Amy blamed Ste for saying a little lie that got out of control. After Nancy had gone, unhappy, Amy and Ste once again argued. Amy blamed Ste for the mess they were in and said he could understand why his mother didn't want him. This upset Ste and he almost lashed out, but Amy told him 'not to touch her'. Shocked, Ste punched Amy in the stomach and she collapsed on the floor. She fled, with Leah, to her dads house but he wouldn't let her in so she sat on the floor, weeping. The next day, everything between Ste and Amy went back to normal although Amy got bullied by Lauren Valentine and Newt for lying. Michaela tried to help her best friend, but Amy just pushed her away.

Domestic Violence

Ste has hit girlfriend Amy several times during their stay in the flat. Once when Ste lost his temper, he shoved Amy so hard that she bashed her head against the wall behind her. In April, Ste received a visit from his mum Pauline. She teased Ste and told him that people like Amy don't go with people like him, Ste answered back causing Pauline to slap Ste. When Amy returned home, Ste was busy building Leah a doll's house, Amy noticed the cut on his lip and tried to comfort Ste, he was having none of this and slapped Amy across the face. In late April after Amy discovered that Ste had sold Sasha drugs and nearly killed her on an overdose, Amy lashed out and told Ste he was no different from his drunk mum Pauline and bullying father Terry. This caused Ste to again lose his temper and punch Amy in the face, giving her a bruised nose.

On the 8th May 2008, shortly after Leah's Leukaemia was discovered false and Nancy confronted the messed-up teens, Amy said it was Ste's idea. When Nancy left in disgust, Ste told Amy he was angry for blaming it all on him. When he pushed Amy, for the first time she hit back and shoved Ste scrambling into the wall, shouting "Don't touch me!" Ste then punched her in the stomach and told her not to look at him like she did again and stormed off.

Amy then left for her family but they wouldn't answer the door, leaving Amy sobbing on the doorstep. Several times Amy has been hit by Ste, but each time he has cried over her forgiveness, Amy forgives him and they remain a struggling couple.

, Ste starts an argument with Amy about it while she is cooking him a romantic dinner. Ste loses it and ends up throwing the boiling hot saucepan of soup all over her arm. In the morning she goes to the hospital, the doctor asks how she got burnt and she covers for him. After they leave the hospital, he apologises then tells her she made him do it. Amy forgives him and he manipulates her to believe it was all her fault, and even gets her to apologise.

Later that day Amy suggests to Ste that she get a job, leaving him angry and upset demanding her of why what he earns isn't good enough for her. Amy arrives home and Ste is already there. She is in the bathroom and Ste walks in telling her how she needs to stop trying to please her friends and says that her long hair makes her look like a child. Saying that it annoys him to no end, he takes a pair of scissors and cuts her long plait of hair off, leaving her hair length at just her shoulders. Amy breaks down crying and tells him to stop it, and he asks her to give him one good reason why. Amy tells him she is pregnant with his baby, although she isn't.

This left Ste thrilled and out of guilt she confessed a couple of days later. However, Ste didn't lose it as he realized that she had said it out of fear. He apologized to her and then broke down in tears. Amy comforted him and they then decided that they would try for a baby together.

In the weeks to come, Ste's violent behaviour towards Amy is going to get a lot worse. Due to Ste working with Justin as a debt collector, Ste discovers a karaoke machine and decides to steal it. Amy is thrilled with the new gift, so pleased in fact that she bumps into Justin telling him how much she loves the karaoke machine. Having heard what Amy had to say, Justin comes to the conclusion that Ste stole it and goes round to the flat to confront him. Ste lashes out at Amy after his telling off from Justin and the fact that she's pregnant doesn't stop Ste landing blow after blow on the poor girl. Amy then realises that enough is enough and that she has to think of Leah and her unborn child. Amy flees and the McQueens find her in the village. They are shocked to hear that she has been the subject of physical abuse for months now and urge her to tell her dad what's been going on. Amy finally comes clean about the ordeal she's being going through, which leaves Mike devastated and raging with anger.

After Ste

The next day Ste then becomes drunk and threatens to kill himself by jumping off of some scaffolding outside the SUbar. Elliot runs to the Barnes' house and tells Amy that unless she doent come to where Ste is then he will jump and kill himself. Meanwhile Keiron is trying to persuade Ste to come down. Amy and Ste start talking and Ste tells Amy that he loves her but she doesn't listen and walks off. Ste then looses his footing and falls to the ground but doesn't die. But a strong minded Amy still doesn't take Ste back. A couple of days later Ste is discharged from the hospital and when he is back at the flat he sees Amy leaving with all hers' and Leahs' belongings, Ste tells Amy that he loves her at first Amy is a little touched but is soon brought back to reality when Sarah pulls her away. Later that day Sarah tells Amy that she should get back with Josh but Amy tells her that she is pregnant with Ste's baby, Sarah then says that she doesn't have to be pregnant if she doesn't want to be, Amy then storms off back to the Barnes' household annoyed at Sarah for what she has just said.

Despite all that had happened this year she passed her GCSE exams that she had retaken.

Amy then went for a baby scan but was worried that her dad would find out the truth about her due dates. Mike, believed that Amy was pregnant when she lied to Ste after he cut off her hair. However this was not the case and she had to come clean to her dad that she lied, once again. Mike sympathised towards Amy and said he was always there for her.

After Amys ordeal with Ste, Josh, once again, took an interest in Amy. He invited her to his house, as his parents were away, although she had to bring Leah with her. Michaela overheard, and invited friends from school around. Amy and Josh's romantic evening in, ended in a major party. Ste, also attended, worrying Amy. He started to bother Amy and Josh took a punch at him, wounding him. Ste also made references to Amy been a bad mum. Ste snuck upstairs and started looking after baby Leah. Amy came in and was shocked that Ste was around her and immediatley took her away. However, she let him touch her stomach and feel the baby.

The next day, Amy left Michaela with Leah. Michaela talked to Leah about her troubles with Mike and although she seemed to like spending time with Leah, she left her with Zak. Zak was loooking after Leah when Ste appeared. Ste told Zak to give him Leah as he was 'her father'. Zak, obviously not knowing Amy didn't want Leah with Ste, gave him her. Amy returned to find Michaela without Leah and she wasn't with Zak either. She started getting worried and searched for Leah with Mike and Zoe. They went to Stes flat and found Leah there. She took Leah away from him and told him never to go near her again. He said that he would never hurt her, she was his daughter, but Amy didn't believe him and left.

Amy recently got back with Josh. She decided against aborting her baby as Ste asked to talk to her, she said she didn't need him and that ther baby was hers, not his. She then told Josh that he could walk away from her, but he told her that he wanted her, so they stayed together.

External links

* [http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/H/hollyoaks/cast/girls/amybarnes/ Amy Barnes] on the [http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/H/hollyoaks Hollyoaks website]