Myra McQueen

Myra McQueen
Hollyoaks character
Portrayed by	Nicole Barber-Lane
First appearance	June 2006
In-universe information Parents Nana McQueen Children Niall Rafferty, John Paul McQueen, Jacqui McQueen, Mercedes Owen, Tina Reilly, Carmel McQueen, Michaela McQueen,

Myra Celestine Philomena Portia McQueen is a fictional character on the long-running British Channel 4 television soap opera Hollyoaks.

She is played by actress Nicole Barber-Lane and made her first appearance in 2006. Nicole played a nurse in earlier episodes of Hollyoaks.

Character history

Born in late 1966, Myra McQueen was raised by her mother, She then became pregnant at the young age of 14 with a son, Niall Rafferty, and her mother forced her to abandon him in a church. She then gave birth to Jacqui McQueen, followed by Mercedes McQueen, Tina Reilly, Carmel McQueen, John Paul McQueen and Michaela McQueen. Fathers of the children are as yet unknown however we have briefly met Carmel, John Paul and Michaela's father, Ricky Bowen who tricked Michaela into letting him into the McQueen household and stole all of their belongings. Myra is a caring character who will do anything to look after and support her family.

Myra is Catholic and is proud that her daughter Carmel also keeps the faith. In an Easter episode of the show in 2007 she is seen in a form of confession with her priest in guilt over her recently outed gay son. In the McQueen household there are Catholic religious icons such as statues of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary.

Myra loved her children, but had a tendency to be very attached to their lives. Myra defended John Paul when everyone found out he was sleeping with best friend Craig Dean, but when John Paul told her he was moving to Dublin with Craig, Myra slapped him. After John Paul realized Craig could not be affectionate with him in public, he decided to stay in Hollyoaks, but began to bristle at living under his mother's supervision. To teach their mother a lesson and to get out on their own, John Paul and Tina moved out of the McQueen home, although John Paul soon regretted his decision and moved back home.

She offered to be a surrogate for Jacqui so that Jacqui and Tony Hutchinson could have a baby together, but Jacqui turned her down, saying Myra had already spent enough time having kids.

Relationship with Leo Valentine

In November 2006 she had a one night stand with Leo Valentine, which excited Michaela, as she thought that it would get her close to Leo's son, Sonny. Myra slept with him again after Christmas. Myra got a Sexually Transmitted Disease from him which Tina and Russ Owen caught through using towels. This led to Tina's boyfriend Dominic Reilly thinking she was cheating on him with Mike Barnes. Russ also thought his girlfriend Mercedes was cheating on him, which led to them fighting and breaking up. Mercedes then slept with Warren Fox before Myra explained the situation to her and Russ, which led to them getting back together.

Myra continued to sporadically see Leo and sometimes talk to him about her problems. They spent New Year's Eve 2007 in a van, drinking and having fun. Carmel mistakenly thought she saw a bomb in the van, which was actually just a timer, and made everyone at the Dog evacuate. When the timer went off, Calvin knocked on the back of the van and a disheveled, drunk Myra and Leo emerged. Myra saw Leo again a few days into the new year, bringing him a trifle, but his possessive ex-girlfriend Valerie dumped the trifle on her head and told her to clear off. A few weeks later, Leo crashed a party Myra had thrown for Niall. When the party got out of control and Myra wanted the guests to leave, Leo wanted to stay. Myra threw his drink in his face and he left.

Niall's revenge

In December 2007, hairstylist Niall Rafferty arrived in town and quickly ingratiated himself to the McQueens, withholding the knowledge that he is in fact Myra's son (abandoned as an infant). His charming ways hide the fact that he is out for revenge on the mother who has abandoned him and the family he could have had. Meanwhile, Myra's past began to haunt her even without the knowledge her son had returned. On Christmas Day, when Myra's mother said she was happy to hear Tina would be a surrogate for Jacqui because they could always use more babies in the family, Myra went upstairs to look through the news clippings of her son being left in a church. When her mother tried to convince her she had been right to force Myra to abandon the baby, Myra slapped her in the face. Her mother slapped her back, and said she wasn't going to put up with such treatment. Myra then went downstairs and watched her children laughing and joking, clearly thinking about the one who was missing.

Myra disapproved of Tina carrying a child for Jacqui and Tony. When she found out Tina was about to inseminate herself at Jacqui and Tony's flat, she dropped in with Mercedes in tow. She begged Tina to consider the consequences of giving up a child, and to consider taking a morning-after pill. Jacqui threw her mother out of the apartment, and afterwards, Myra reluctantly accepted the decision.

Myra began to have more and more problems with an unruly Michaela, who preferred smoking marijuana and drinking to spending time in school. Niall got Myra a job as a cleaner at Evissa and encouraged her to get tougher with Michaela. The next day, Myra found Michaela in her room, sick from drinking. She told her to clean the mess up, and when Michaela got fresh with her, Myra slapped her. Michaela then moved out, upsetting Myra greatly. She moved back a few days later.

At a party thrown for Niall, Michaela was found unconscious (after Niall gave her something mysterious to drink, and watched her as she slept). She was rushed to the hospital, and it was discovered that she had been injected with heroin but Michaela denied that she had ever taken heroin. However Myra found out from Amy that Amy had thrown Michaela out after some money went missing from her house, which she thought Michaela used to fund her habit. She moved out again, staying with Niall, but left after several weeks when Niall told Myra what a burden Michaela was. Myra thanked him as she thought he was saying those things to help Michaela go back home.

Niall overheard Carmel asking Myra to stop collecting benefits she was no longer entitled to. He reported Myra for benefits fraud. Myra was cut off from all benefits and told she might face prison time. Nana visited to try to help, but Niall attacked her in an alley and she returned home a few days later. Jacqui and Mercedes blamed Carmel for Myra's arrest, and Myra confided in Niall that she felt like her family was falling apart.

Max's Death

Myra found out about John Paul & Kieron's relationship. During Max and Steph's wedding, she stood up and told the entire church about the two of them.

After Max's death she went to aplogise to everyone at the Dog now knowing about Max's death.

Tina, who was pushed down the stairs outside the Valentines' home by Niall, gave birth to Myra's first grandchild, a baby boy named after Max.

External links

• Myra McQueen on the Hollyoaks website