EXCLUSIVE: Hollyoaks star shares subtle ways she challenges gender stereotypes on set
Hollyoaks favourite Jessica Fox, who has played Nancy Osborne for two decades, says it's more important than ever to support women amid inequality and health negligance
After 21 years on Hollyoaks, Jessica Fox’s character Nancy Osborne is a firm favourite amongst fans.
Unfortunately her young son, River, doesn’t hold the same impression where his mum’s soap fame is concerned. After two decades in Hollyoaks village, we’ve seen Nancy at the centre of huge storylines, including the prison death of her beloved sister Becca Dean, her sexual assault ordeal and her on/off romance with husband Darren Osbourne, which has spanned over 10 years.
When Jess, 42, decided to introduce her three year old to her famous character, she did not get the reaction she was quite expecting. In a rather humbling moment, River, who had been impressed by his musician father’s performances on YouTube, told his mum he simply wasn’t interested in her own career.
She told The Mirror: “I showed him me and he went, ‘no mummy,’ and turned it off! I got pied. He doesn’t want to know about that but I have explained to him that every day, mummy has to put on a different outfit.
“Now I have to take a picture of whatever I’m wearing and I have to show him what I was wearing that day. He gets very confused when it’s the same thing.”
After 21 years on Hollyoaks, Jessica Fox’s character Nancy Osborne is a firm favourite amongst fans(Image: Instagram/jessicalafox)
Unfortunately her young son, River, doesn’t hold the same impression(Image: Instagram/jessicalafox)
We spoke to Jess ahead of International Women’s Day, as she shared why celebrating women was now more important than ever, before detailing the small changes she requests to scenes to highlight equality in different aspects. She explained: “The world we live in is terrifying and I think it’s more important than ever to highlight women in work, women at home and the lives they lead and to keep questioning gender stereotypes.
“Also to keep celebrating women when they’re wins and keep pulling them up where we’re still behind. We still don’t have equal pay, still women are doing the lion’s share of domestic work at home and are working full-time. and are the full-time care givers.
“We are not in an equal fitting yet and the world is even trying to roll back women’s rights so it’s now more important than ever, particularly when you have a show that tells young people stories, that women are at the forefront and they are telling their own stories, not just facilitating men’s.”
Hollyoaks favourite Jessica Fox, who has played Nancy Osborne for two decades, says it’s more important than ever to support women(Image: Lime Pictures)
On the tweaks she often makes, she went on: “People roll their eyes at me but I’m forever challenging it. Even at work, and they do listen and they do change things, there’s just certain funny things that in our world, we just accept as normal.
“So if we’re doing a family scene or we need someone to set the table it will be Nancy, or Nancy’s loading the washing, she’s cleaning the table and I go, why isn’t Darren doing that? Nancy’s got a full-time job, and they’ll go, ‘oh yeah, we’ll swap it around,’ and I think that’s really important that we notice those unconscious moments where we can show women being powerful and independent and in charge.”
After more than two decades in the role, Jess still loves playing Nancy but she admitted she wouldn’t want to be like her. She told us: “I love that she is an ultimate boss b***h. She is in charge, she runs the whole school and she is very much head of her family, but she also is funny, silly, vulnerable and she’s a whole person with all the colours that go with that.
Jessica joined as Nancy in 2005(Image: Instagram/jessicalafox/Hollyoaks)
We spoke to Jess ahead of International Women’s Day, as she shared why celebrating women was now more important than ever(Image: Lime Pictures)
“She’s not perfect, because perfect is boring. She does lose her temper and does get it wrong, and she does always believe the wrong person. In all honesty, I think she is the best and worst of me in some places.
“I wish she’d just sometimes know when to shut up, and to let someone else talk. It’s not her strong point.” She went on: “We do love her though, she has lots of good points, she’s s bit of a marmite character isn’t she.
“I think one thing I always like about her is she’s not afraid to be unlikeable and that’s important. To tell interesting stories sometimes you have to be the bad guy.” Jess is also grateful for the friends she has on the show, while she admits as she’s changed over the years, getting older and becoming a mother, the relationships have changed too.
Alex Fletcher’s character Diane is diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer(Image: © 2025 Ean Flanders)
She explained: “I’ve been working with Ashley Taylor Dawson who plays Darren for 15 years, so we are incredibly close at work and we have this weird unspoken chat with just our eyebrows. I also adore is Izzy Smith who plays Frankie. I see a lot of myself in her.
“She’s just so talented, so hardworking and her work ethic is incredible, and she is so funny and silly and gives a s**t. I love that about her and it’s funny cos I’m so much older than her but I get on with her very well.
“I’m great friends with Tam [Tamara Wall] who played Grace. We used to do a lot of living room karaoke together pre-baby, she was a very good friend on set with me and Anna [Passey].
“Also, friendships evolve as you grow as a woman. I started that show when I was 22, and we’d go out, it was the noughties, we were in the clubs dropping it like it’s hot. Now I’m in my early 40s, and now I’m messaging Jessamy [Stoddart] about nappies and potty training and my child refusing to eat anything other than cheese.”
Jess touched back on the importance of raising issues that women face(Image: Lime Pictures)
The soap is currently tackling a devastating storyline that sees Alex Fletcher’s character Diane Hutchinson diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. Sadly, Diane will be told she is terminal and it will lead to Alex’s exit from the Channel 4 soap.
Jess touched back on the importance of raising issues that women face, hoping the storyline would highlight women’s health negligence after Diane’s late diagnosis. Jess said: “I think people see themselves in the characters on the screen and women’s health negligence and women being fobbed off and not listened to is a chronic problem.
“It’s an epidemic really, and so having someone who’s been feeling bit off, has been to their GP, been told they’re tired, stressed, to lose weight or drink more water, or get more sleep, and then it actually be something, people will feel very validated by that story.
“It’s important to show the impact that the illness and the missed steps have on everyone around her, not just the person suffering. She’s got these children who are gonna lose their mother and a husband who will lose his wife. This is a massive impact and I think whenever there’s an illness like this, you think what if they’d caught it earlier? Would I have had more time? That’s a really terrifying question to be faced with.”
