James spirals in Hollyoaks as he makes confession about missing Ste

| Deputy Soaps Editor Published September 14, 2026 11:59pm Updated September 15, 2026 12:00am James is left confused – and makes quite the confession (Picture: Lime Pictures) James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan) begins to worry in Hollyoaks that he had a role to play in the vanishing of Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) after all, despite his previous claims of innocence. The much-loved show favourite has found himself prime suspect in the disappearance of ex Ste, who believed he was to blame for Rex Gallagher’s (Jonny Labey) demise. Ste vanished in a shopping scene a number of weeks ago when en route to a spa day with Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe) and Leela Dexter (Kirsty-Leigh Porter). The village has banded together in a bid to locate him and find out what happened, with characters such as James, Lucas Hay (Oscar Curtis) and Sienna Blake (Anna Passey) finding the finger pointed at them. James and Sienna have attempted to work together to get to the bottom of what really happened but, while making one or two breakthroughs, they’ve yet to find out anything relating to Ste’s whereabouts. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video And next week, the doubts start to creep in for James. Worse for wear, the lawyer admits to Leah Barnes (Charlotte Alex Riley) that he has gaps in his memory from around the time Ste went missing. Could he have forgotten something crucial? Before Leah can process such a thing, they’re interrupted by Imran Maalik (Ijaz Rana), who accuses her of stealing his laptop. James is quick to defend his stepdaughter. James confesses to Leah (Picture: Lime Pictures) Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. And later in the week, the doubts continue, with James at his wits end with confusion as he desperately tries to recall the day Ste went missing, fearing that he might have had something to do with his disappearance. Will James’ fears come to pass? Did he have involvement in what happened to Ste? Or is someone else to blame? Deals of the Day An Instagram mattress left me with back pain – this one completely changed my mind Book Val d'Isère, Val Thorens and Tignes for less in Club Med's ski sale Save 25% on red light therapy masks, sauna blankets and sleep gadgets in Bon Charge sale The viral LED face mask with over 350 lights that's currently discounted by £100 A friend said I looked 'snatched' – I credit this new Charlotte Tilbury powder Hollyoaks streams Mondays to Wednesdays from 6am on Channel 4’s streaming platform, or catch episodes on TV at 7pm on E4. If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@metro.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you. Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage. The Soaps Newsletter – Weekly Sign up for exclusive spoilers and interviews, handpicked by our Soaps Editor.