Darcy Wilde (also Osborne, originally credited as Rebecca) is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Aisling Jarrett-Gavin. Her casting and the introduction of Darcy was announced in January 2017, with the character making her first appearance on the episode broadcast on 13 March 2017. Darcy has been characterised as scheming, which has earned the character a reputation for being devious in British media, with the character been referred to as Devious Darcy in Hollyoaks media and by critics. Darcy was first mentioned in 2016 as the former fiancée of Adam Donovan (Jimmy Essex), who had disappeared and was presumed dead. Adam's new girlfriend, Maxine Minniver (Nikki Sanderson), begins digging into Darcy's disappearance and tracks Darcy down, which leads to Darcy moving to Hollyoaks in order to win Adam back.
Jarrett-Gavin revealed that Adam is the love of Darcy's life and that she is working to get him back. Darcy tries to get Adam back by telling him that he is the father of her son, Toby Wilde (Lucas Haywood), though Adam stays loyal to Maxine. She continues scheming by meddling in their wedding and engagement party, and she later begins a relationship and engagement with Adam's brother, Jesse Donovan (Luke Jerdy), in order to get closer to Adam and win him back. Darcy's plan is successful when Adam gets back together with her, but their happiness is threatened when she accidentally kills Adam and Jesse's mother, Tracey Donovan (Lisa Maxwell), who had found out that Adam was not the biological father of Toby. Adam then breaks up with Darcy when he finds out that his own father, Glenn Donovan (Neil Roberts/Bob Cryer), is Toby's true biological father.
Following the end of her storyline with Adam, Darcy was not written out, with the actress revealing that Darcy would get involved with another Hollyoaks family. This was revealed to be the Osborne family family, which begins when Jack Osborne (Jimmy McKenna) takes Darcy under his wing. Darcy then tries to con Tom Cunningham (Ellis Hollins) out of his money, but she is thwarted. Thinking that Jack is dying, Darcy manipulates Jack into thinking that he has feelings for her and the two begin a relationship, much to the anger of Jack's family, who try to unsuccessfully expose Darcy's antics. Jarrett-Gavin explained that Darcy is trying to take Jack's money in order to provide the best possible life for Toby. The actress enjoyed working with McKenna and revealed that it was her favourite experience on the soap. When Darcy finds out that Jack is no longer dying, she attempts to poison him. Despite having second thoughts, the plan puts Esther Bloom (Jazmine Franks) in hospital when she consumes the poisoned drink intended for Jack. This ends Darcy and Jack's short marriage and leads to Darcy's departure, who leaves with Toby in order to escape paying for her crimes. Darcy made her last appearance on 26 April 2018, which was not announced prior.
Darcy has received a mixed reception. Some critics were excited for Darcy's arrival and the storylines it would create. Jarrett-Gavin revealed that viewers had mixed reactions towards Darcy, and she explained that she did not mind that some viewers hated Darcy as it meant that she had completed her portrayal of the character right. Critics and fans expressed disgust at Darcy's age-gap relationship with Jack, with Hollyoaks cast member Jessica Fox (Nancy Hayton) also disliking their relationship. Some fans expressed happiness over Darcy's departure, whilst several critics and fans expressed joy when Darcy was caught out and exposed during her time on the soap.
In the media, and by Hollyoaks itself, such as in YouTube videos and hashtags, the character has been referred to as "Devious Darcy". Darcy has also been described as a "schemer". In 2018, the actress called Darcy a "great character" to play and revealed that her favourite quality of Darcy's is her vulnerability, saying that Darcy "might seem like a villain to most, but she has an emotional soft and scared side", which the actress believes makes Darcy "really interesting to play". The actress also added that Darcy "lives her life in fear" and is "always scared" that she will be caught, but "luckily" is "very good at deception".
"The ideal outcome would be that if Darcy is dead then her and Adam can move forward together as a couple and become stronger and happier together. If she isn't and she comes back, the ideal outcome would be that Adam gets final closure on her and it gives Adam and Maxine the push to move forward with their relationship knowing that Adam does truly love Maxine and would choose her over Darcy."
Although Maxine is confident that she knows the truth about Darcy, she struggles to tell Adam. Darcy then reappears at Maxine and Adam's engagement party, with Jarrett-Gavin reflecting that Darcy's appearance was a "huge shock" for Adam due to everyone believing that she was dead. Darcy later begins her plan of trying to get Adam back by kissing him on the bridge in front of "everyone", including Maxine.
Darcy then causes trouble by ruining Maxine and Aam's engagement party by arranging Toby's birthday party on the same day, which leads to Maxine drinking too much due to struggling with Darcy's "mean meddling". Darcy continues to try splitting Maxine and Adam up, and uses Toby as a "pawn" in her games when she orders Toby to ruin Maxine's wedding dress, which angers a "horrified" Maxine. Following the "shocking move", Darcy orders Toby to give her an apology, despite having given him "strict instructions" over what to say.
Darcy later begins a relationship with Adam's brother, Jesse, in an attempt to win Adam back, and she later proposes to him in order to get closer to the family. The proposal "sparks outrage" from Tracey and Adam. Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy noted that not everyone is "happy over the impending nuptials" and speculated that Jesse is "a pawn" in Darcy's games". Tracey, who has now served time in prison for pushing Darcy, "can't believe her eyes" due to seeing Darcy "so close to her sons" upon her return. Jarrett-Gavin commented on Darcy's "survival skills" and concluded that Darcy's belief is that getting together with Jesse would be "the one thing" that would "get" to Adam as it would potentially make him realise that he is not over her. Jarrett-Gavin also noted that Darcy did not think she would be able to get Adam back and thus was using "any tactic" to achieve the goal. She also commented that "Poor Jesse" did not deserve the treatment he received.
Adam and Darcy eventually rekindle their relationship, which leaves Maxine heartbroken and leads to her temporarily leaving the village.
Following Tracey's death, it becomes apparent that Darcy is hiding something. Darcy's secrets are revealed in October 2017, when it transpires that Tracey confronted Darcy at Lisa's Loveboat over the fact that Adam is not Toby's biological son. In flashback sequences, it is revealed that on the boat, Tracey showed Darcy that she had proof and ordered her to leave the village, which led to Darcy trying to fight her for the evidence and Tracey tripping into the water. It is also revealed that Darcy chose not to help her, instead deciding to protect her secret. Tracey's portrayer, Lisa Maxwell, told Digital Spy that she had enjoyed working with Jarrett-Gavin on the soap, and that she would continue watching Hollyoaks to see if Darcy gets her "comeuppance". Grace and Glenn want vengeance after they discover that Darcy was on the boat with Tracey when she died, which leads to Glenn trying to drive Darcy out of the village. However, Darcy then drops a bombshell on him when she reveals that he is the biological father of Toby, not Adam. Not wanting to cause further damage to his relationship with Jesse and Adam, Glenn decides to keep this a secret.
Darcy feels threatened when Maxine returns to the village, with Jarrett-Gavin explaining that "Darcy isn't happy, especially as Maxine's returned looking really hot. It has got her back up". Jarrett-Gavin also revealed that now that Darcy has "finally got what she wanted", she is worried that Maxine will "ruin it all". Sanderson, Maxine's portrayer, had previously hinted to Inside Soap that Darcy's secrets would be exposed. At a Singles event, Maxine ends up finding out about Toby's true paternity when she by chance meets with Jordan, the private investigator who knows about Darcy's secrets. Maxine tells Adam, who realises "just how badly Darcy has betrayed him", and he exposes Darcy during a Christmas meal with the rest of the Donovan family, which causes "jaws to drop all round" and leads to Adam turning his back on Darcy and Glenn trying to blackmail her to leave the village without Toby. A writer from Inside Soap called Darcy "lonely" due to being "exiled by her loved ones", whilst Jarrett-Gavin told the magazine that Darcy would have a "sad Christmas", as the character "had the family she wanted, and now it's gone!" However, Jarrett-Gavin had previously told Soaplife that even if Darcy's secrets were exposed, Darcy will still "do everything she can" in order to make sure that she and Toby are "living a good life", adding that Darcy "go anywhere until she's gone to the darkest point she can with her lies and manipulation. There's more to come!"
Jack has a heart attack in front of Darcy and Toby after being exhausted from playing and running around with Toby, as he was trying to help Darcy. Darcy continues to attempt to seduce him and lies about liking fishing in order to spend more time with him, which makes Nancy suspicious, though Darcy is able to outsmart her, which leads to an argument between Darren and Jack over Darcy. Darcy then tricks Jack into thinking that they spent the night together and lies that he confessed his "undying love" for Darcy. Darcy is successful in tricking Jack into thinking that she has feelings for him, when in reality she is after his money. Darcy also plans attempts to spring a surprise wedding on him, with Tom Chapman from Digital Spy writing that Darcy is planning to "rinse Jack for all he's worth". Chapman noted that Darcy's "scheming", alongside other storylines, contributed to "an evening of conflict and cunning" for that episode.
The following month, Jack and Darcy face a "huge" backlash from family members Tom, Nancy Hayton (Jessica Fox), Darren Osborne (Ashley Taylor Dawson) and Esther Bloom (Jazmine Franks) when they tell them about their relationship, with the family not believing Darcy's claim that she is not after Jack's money. Digital Spys Susannah Alexander wrote, "to say that nobody was pleased would be an understatement" regarding the reaction from the Osbornes. Fox revealed that there would be "fireworks" at the confession, explaining how Nancy "doesn't mince her words when it come to the relationship" due to not liking Darcy and believing that she is up to no good. After Darcy makes a speech about Jack being her soulmate, Jack breaks up with her, having spoken to Darren about how he still listens to a voicemail message from his recently deceased wife, Frankie Osborne (Helen Pearson). This leads a "secretly livid" Darcy to stoop to a "new low" when she secretly deletes Frankie's voicemail. Darcy then supports Jack, who is devastated when he realises the voicemail is gone, in the hopes of being able to move back in, which leads to Jack letting Darcy into his life again. This angers Esther, Frankie's granddaughter, and she ends up realising what Darcy has done after Toby tells her how Darcy had messed with Jack's phone and had wanted him to get over "that old woman". Eden-Olivia Lord from Closer Online speculated that Toby would cause Darcy's "downfall" due to revealing this to Esther.
Esther, Nancy and Adam team up in order to expose Darcy, with the plan being that Adam will take his top off and "tempt" Darcy in order to show Jack that she is not loyal to him; however, Darcy is able to "turn the tables" when she notices the camera recording Adam flirting with her. Jarrett-Gavin commented that when Darcy realises she is being set up, she thinks "I can play that game too" and tries to seduce Adam in order to expose the girls' plans to Jack and prove that she is not "a bad person". The actress revealed that Darcy is afraid that the girls will figure out her plans and thus she is trying to outsmart them to prove to Jack that they are trying to split them up, adding that Darcy is "the master of manipulation and won't let them win". The actress also revealed that she was unsure of what Darcy's plans were if she ends getting Jack's money.
Jarrett-Gavin called working with McKenna "absolutely brilliant", calling him "funny" and kind to work with, and joked that she kept hearing that he was in the movie Highlander. The actress revealed that she was unsure whether Darcy would cause Jack any pain due to him being a "kind-hearted man". She believed that Jack was making Darcy "soften" and could lead to a change for the character, adding that Darcy "wants to be financially secure and that's the main thing, but Jack is pulling at her heart-strings more than she ever would have thought".
Darcy's final scenes aired on 25 April 2018 on E4 and the following day on Channel 4, with it being announced after the episode being aired that Darcy had left the show. In the storyline, Darcy's "latest scheme" sees her attempt to poison Jack with tainted whiskey, but ends up accidentally spiking Esther when she drinks it instead, leading to Esther collapsing and being taken to hospital. Darcy admits this to Adam, who calls the police, leading to a "panicked" Darcy's "downfall" as she flees the village "in fear". Sophie Dainty from Digital Spy noted that it "really did seem that Darcy was about to get her comeuppance" until a "a twist in the closing moments" occurs, where Darcy blackmails Glenn - over his involvement in covering up her part in Tracey's death - into giving her money and then leaves with Toby in a cab.
Following the broadcast of Darcy's final scenes, Jarrett-Gavin appeared in a video on the official Hollyoaks YouTube channel, where she thanked fans for following her "incredible journey" and for "watching, supporting, hating, loving and enjoying the character". The actress noted that she would miss Nikki Sanderson and was sad that she would not be working with her anymore as they had had "a great time together", with a lot of "drama" happening on screen, with Jarrett-Gavin calling it "fun" and "bitchy". She also joked that she would not miss Maxine. The actress commented that working with Jimmy Essex and Jimmy McKenna was her "favourite" part of her experience on the show. She also said that she found it "really cool" that some fans loved Darcy.
Darcy continues trying to annoy Maxine and win Adam over. She begins a relationship with Adam's brother, Jesse Donovan (Luke Jerdy), who used to have an unhealthy infatuation with her and whom she had sex with prior to disappearing. In order to get closer to the family and win over Adam, Darcy accepts Jesse's marriage proposal. The two become engaged, infuriating Tracey and Adam. Adam then confesses to Darcy that he still loves her and they become a couple again, devastating Maxine and Jesse. Darcy is later seen meeting a mysterious man, who is revealed to be Glenn Donovan (Neil Roberts/Bob Cryer), Adam and Jesse's father. One night, a drunken Tracey confronts Darcy at the loveboat, revealing that she has evidence that Adam is not Toby's biological father. A desperate Darcy tries to stop Tracey from telling Adam the truth, which results in Tracey falling into the river and drowning. Darcy is not linked to the crime due to the amount of alcohol found in Tracey's system, leading to her death being ruled as accidental. It is later revealed that Glenn is the true father of Toby. When Adam finds out, he exposes her at a family dinner and kicks her out of his home.
Jack Osborne (Jimmy McKenna), who is grieving over his recently deceased wife Frankie Osborne (Helen Pearson), takes pity on Darcy and allows her to move into his home, which annoys his family. When Darcy finds out that Jack's foster son, Tom Cunningham (Ellis Hollins), has a seven-figure trust fund, Darcy plans to con him and flee the village with the money and Toby, but she is thwarted by Jack and Tom. After Jacks gives Darcy a second chance, she plans to marry him in an attempt to inherit his money, thinking that he is dying. When Jack is sleeping following his recovery from a heart attack, Darcy sneaks into his bed and lies to Jack, telling him that they spent the night together and that he admitted his love for her. They later start a relationship, which infuriates Jack's family. Esther Bloom (Jazmine Franks) and Nancy Hayton (Jessica Fox) attempt to expose Darcy by having Adam seduce her on camera, but Darcy is able to thwart them and exposes their trick to Jack. Darcy and Jack marry, but when she realises that Jack is not dying after all, she attempts to poison him. Darcy changes her mind but the poisoned drink is drunk by Esther, which puts her in hospital. Fearing repercussions for her crimes, Darcy flees Hollyoaks with Toby with her help of Glenn, who she blackmailed with the fact that he helped cover up Tracey's death.
Beth Allcock from OK! called Darcy a "gold-digger" and reported how fans found Darcy and Jack's relationship "disgusting" and "gross" and that fans reacted "strongly" to the storyline. Actress Jessica Fox, who portrays Nancy, also shared this view over the relationship. Tom Chapman from Digital Spy noted how fans felt sorry for Jack when Darcy schemed to take his money and joked that Darcy "remains as popular as ever". Susannah Alexander from the same website also called Darcy "devious", and noted that viewers could not "get enough" of Darcy's "downfall" and "couldn't have been any happier to see the back of Darcy". Sophie Dainty from Digital Spy referred the character as "villainous" and wrote that it was unfortunate that the character "got away with everything". Whilst reviewing 2017 in Hollyoaks, Dainty's colleague, Daniel Kilkelly, wrote that "on reflection, it probably would have been better to leave the situation well alone!" in regards to Maxine initially tracking Darcy down earlier in the year. Kilkelly also blamed Darcy for ruining Maxine and Adam's happy marriage. Hayley Minn from The Daily Mirror commented on how viewers were "fully aware of how conniving and secretive" the character is.
When Darcy's scheme to swindle Tom of money failed, Kilkelly wrote that fans "fans can breathe a sigh of relief" due to "devious" Darcy being caught out again. Kilkelly also called Darcy's plan "evil". Their colleague, Susannah Alexander, reported how fans were "absolutely fuming" when Darcy deleted Jack's "precious" voicemail from Frankie. In 2023, Stephen Patterson from Metro noted how Jack was "famously conned" by Darcy, writing that she "preyed" on Jack's grief and plotted to marry and kill him to take his money. Kilkelly also called Darcy a "cunning" and "ruthless" character and believed that Darcy killing Tracey was a "callous move".
Fans expressed their delight on Twitter over Darcy's departure. Jarrett-Gavin noted that some fans "hated" the character, which she believed was good as it meant that she had completed her job "right". Speaking about Darcy's and Jack potential wedding, Stephanie Chase from Digital Spy wrote that it was "safe to say Hollyoaks fans won't be rushing out to buy a hat for, as everyone is truly fed up with Jack not being able to see through Darcy" and called them a "May–December couple". Following Tracey's death, Katy Brent from Entertainment Daily reported on how many fans were "convinced" that Darcy was responsible. The scene where Adam exposes the fact that Glenn is Toby's father and that Darcy lied was featured in Hollyoaks' Most Shocking Caught Out Moments compilation. Regarding Darcy's Christmas downfall, Kilkelly wrote "At last!" Kilkelly had previously written that fans would be "cheering" Maxine on to "destroy Darcy for good".
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