Leo Valentine is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

from the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. Since 2005, episodes have been aired on ...

'', played by Brian Bovell. Despite being on the show for over three years, Leo has not been involved in any major storylines, however does serve as a comedic character. In March 2010, it was announced that Leo was one of 16 characters to be axed from the show; he left in August 2010.

Storylines

Backstory

Leo is the estranged husband of Diane (Pauline Black), the father of

Calvin Calvin may refer to: Names * Calvin (given name) ** Particularly Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States * Calvin (surname) ** Particularly John Calvin, theologian Places In the United States * Calvin, Arkansas, a hamlet * Calvi ...

(

Ricky Whittle Richard George Whittle (born 31 December 1979) is a British actor. Whittle first came to prominence as a model for Reebok in the early 2000s. He is known in the United Kingdom for his role as Calvin Valentine in the soap opera ''Hollyoaks''. I ...

), Sonny (

Devon Anderson Devon Carlo Anderson (born 25 August 1987) is an English actor. Anderson's roles include Billie Jackson in ''EastEnders'' and Sonny Valentine in ''Hollyoaks''. Early life Anderson was born on 25 August 1987 in London. Acting career Anderson ...

) and Sasha (

Nathalie Emmanuel Nathalie Joanne Emmanuel (born 2 March 1989) is an English actress. Emmanuel began her acting career appearing in theatre in the late 1990s, acquiring roles in various West End productions such as the musical ''The Lion King''. In 2006, she be ...

). He left Diane and his children in 1993, where he returned to his mistress

Valerie Holden The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' in 2007, by order of first appearance. Father Raymond Father Raymond is the Catholic Priest that first appeared to console Myra McQueen (Nico ...

(

Samantha Giles Samantha Elizabeth Giles (born 2 July 1971) is an English actress and author. She is known for portraying the role of Bernice Blackstock in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. She had also portrayed Sally Boothe in the ITV drama series '' Where t ...

). Years before, she had given birth to

Danny Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to the male name Daniel. It may refer to: People *Danny Altmann, British immunologist *Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer *Danny Baker (born 1957), English journalis ...

( David Judge) and in 1992 she gave birth to

Lauren Lauren may be a given name or surname.The name's meaning may be "laurel tree", "sweet of honor", or "wisdom". It is derived from the French name Laurence, a feminine version of Laurent, which is in turn derived from the Roman surname Laurentius. ...

( Dominique Jackson). In 2006, Leo discovered Diane had died and left his secret family to look after his other children. Valerie returned to Leo's life in 2007 where she introduced his children to their siblings.

2006–10

Leo arrives in Hollyoaks to look after his children after their mother's death. Leo is involved in several one-night stands with

Myra McQueen Myra McQueen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Nicole Barber-Lane. She made her first screen appearance during the episode originally broadcast on 19 June 2006 and was introduced by producer ...

(

Nicole Barber-Lane Nicole Barber-Lane is a British actress known for playing Myra McQueen in the long-running teen soap ''Hollyoaks''. Career Before working in ''Hollyoaks'', Barber-Lane appeared in ''Emmerdale'', ''Bodies'', '' The Cops'', and in a Yorkshire Bu ...

). Leo is disappointed when Sonny leaves home to live with his aunt. On 6 September 2007, Leo's former mistress, Valerie, turns up with his illegitimate children Danny and Lauren. Valerie leaves her children with Leo and leaves for abroad. Calvin and Sasha are horrified to discover their father cheated on their mother and that they have two more siblings. A year later, Valerie returns and begins a short relationship with Leo until she kisses Calvin and leaves. In 2009, after

Warren Fox Warren "Foxy" Fox (also known as Mike Jones) is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', portrayed by Jamie Lomas. The character and casting were announced on 12 May 2006, and Warren made his first appearance ...

's (

Jamie Lomas James Lomas (born 21 April 1975) is an English actor, known for his soap opera roles as Warren Fox in ''Hollyoaks'' and Jake Stone in ''EastEnders''. Life and career Lomas was born in Manchester. Before joining ''Hollyoaks'' in 2006, he had m ...

) death, his foster brother

Spencer Gray Spencer Gray is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Darren John Langford. The character first appeared on-screen in December 2008. He initially appeared as the foster brother of Warren Fox, turni ...

(

Darren John Langford Darren John Langford (born 1 April 1984) is a British actor who is best known for playing the mentally disabled character Spencer Gray in the long-running Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which began airi ...

) moves in with the Valentines. Leo dislikes Spencer's unruly attitude and tries to convince Calvin to put him in a care home where he can be properly looked after. Calvin eventually does so. Leo discovers that Calvin left Warren to die and is forced to kick him out due to Sasha's upset over the situation. However, things get worse when Leo then discovers that Lauren is pregnant, unaware that she had lied to Spencer in order to con him out of his inheritance. Leo threatens Lauren's boyfriend

Gaz Bennett Gaz Bennett is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Joel Goonan. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 25 November 2008. Goonan took a break from filming during 2010, and returned on-scr ...

(

Joel Goonan Joel Benjamin Goonan (born 2 September 1989 in Manchester) is an English actor, best known for his role as the villainous Gaz Bennett in ''Hollyoaks''. Goonan had guest roles in '' Waterloo Road'', '' Doctors'' and ''Casualty''. Joel Goonan left ...

) when it appears he is the father. Lauren then admits she made up the pregnancy. Calvin is shot dead by

Theresa McQueen Theresa McQueen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Jorgie Porter. She made her first appearance on 24 November 2008. The character was introduced as an extension of already established McQueen f ...

(

Jorgie Porter Jorgina Porter (born 25 December 1987) is an English actress and model. She is known for portraying the role of Theresa McQueen in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' from 2008 until 2016 and again from 2020. Early life Porter was born in Tr ...

) on his wedding day, and Leo is devastated. To make matters worse, Lauren collapses and falls down the stairs at The Loft during an argument with Sasha about her scheme to fleece Spencer out of his inheritance. When she is admitted to hospital, it is revealed that she is suffering from a life-threatening blood clot. Valerie then returns to take her back to Spain with her. Lauren decides to move to Spain as Leo gets a job in London. Lauren then realises how much her father will miss her, so she decides to stay with him. A goodbye party is held for the Valentines, as Lauren, Valerie and Spencer all announce they are also coming to London. The Valentines then leave in August 2010. In July 2014, Sonny (now played by Aaron Fontaine) informs his current fiancée

Carmel McQueen Carmel Valentine (also McQueen) is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Gemma Merna. She debuted on-screen during episodes airing on 13 August 2006 and was introduced by series producer Bryan Kirkw ...

(

Gemma Merna Gemma Merna (born 6 February 1984) is an English actress and model. She is best known for portraying the role of Carmel McQueen in the Channel 4 soap opera, ''Hollyoaks'' from 2006 to 2014. Career Merna joined the cast of the Channel 4 soap op ...

) that Leo has provided him with a financial deposit for the two of them to purchase a household of their own in the village.

Reception

Gareth McLean of ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'' has branded Leo as useless.

References

External links

Leo Valentine
on th

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valentine, Leo Television characters introduced in 2006 Hollyoaks characters Fictional gamblers Fictional Black British people Male characters in television Fictional people from London