Sasha Valentine
Encyclopedia
Sasha Valentine is a fictional character
from the long-running Channel 4
soap opera
Hollyoaks
, played by Nathalie Emmanuel
. The character first appeared on-screen on 17 July 2006 as part of the newly introduced Valentine family. The character has been at the center of many high profile storylines including experimenting with recreational drugs
, a heroin addiction and a subsequent overdose, prostitution
, a victim of a series of violent attacks, portraying a gangster's moll
and binge drinking
. In March 2010, Paul Marquess announced that 11 characters are to depart the show which included Sasha. Although it was initially reported Emmanuel was axed on screen brother Ricky Whittle
confirmed she had planned to leave at the end of her contract. Emmanuel left in 2010 and was later credited on 1 December 2010 for a flashback episode.
described the character as "the quiet, observing type. The youngest member of the Valentine family, she is also the glue that holds them together, the peaceful center in a tornado of madness. She's constantly rolling her eyes at her brother Sonny's antics. She also has an unrequited crush on Sonny's best friend, Justin Burton, but she's managed to remain relationship-free while in Hollyoaks." The Daily Mail
labelled her a "troubled teen" and "former goody-two-shoes". The Daily Star described her as a wild child and "not a bad girl at heart".
. Sasha, Calvin, and Sonny's dad Leo shows up soon after Diane's death and moves into their home. Sasha is the only one to remember her late mother's birthday, so she goes to her graveside with Justin Burton
. Justin accuses his ex-girlfriend Becca Dean
of seducing him when he was a minor, and begin living in the Valentine home because of his friendship with Sonny. He smokes cannabis, and offers her some, which she refuses. She covers for him by telling Calvin she was the one who was smoking, which leads to some conflict between brother and sister. She tries to win over Justin's favour by waiting for him in Sonny's
bedroom while Sonny is out. When Justin came in nothing happens between them because it was too soon after Becca. They sleep together after Becca is imprisoned. He tells her she was too young and they couldn't see each other. She soon stops tryingv to seduce him and they begin a friendship.
Sasha achieves straight A's in her GCSE exams, and around this time develops a crush on Fletch. Michaela is also interested in him, and seduces him when he comes over to her house. Sasha goes out with him the next day, and is about to take the relationship further if Michaela had not walked in on them, revealing that she had slept with him. Sasha's father-daughter dinner with Leo is interrupted by a woman crashing through a window. The woman is Valerie Holden whom her father had an affair with and the two teenagers are her half brother and sister Danny
& Lauren
.
Fletch takes up drugs and offers Josh and Sasha them, but they refuse. Later that night, Valerie takes Sasha out clubbing. This results in Katy and Val having a fight and Sasha and Val being thrown out. They were then arrested by Calvin and spend night in the cells. After overhearing an argument between Valerie and Leo in which he calls her boring she leaves to find Fletch who gives her some cannabis, which she smokes. During Niall Rafferty
's party Sasha and Fletch took some Speed
. Sasha hallucinates and sees her Dad angry at her for taking speed. Sasha complains that her heart is beating extremely fast and won't stop, she also complains her jaw and stomach was hurting. Sasha was then sick before Lauren found her. On 11 February, Sasha and Calvin have an argument after he catches her smoking weed
with Fletch, and Sasha started mocking him and Carmel
. Calvin pushs Sasha causing her to bang her head on the wooden staircase. Sasha moves out of the Valentine's and into Amy and Ste's. Sasha and Fletch decided to take heroin. But the morning after they take the heroin Sasha and Fletch suffer a massive comedown in Amy and Ste's bathroom. Ste finds out and chucks Sasha and Fletch out the flat for taking the heroin. After this Sasha moves back in with the rest of the Valentine's. Sasha is caught in bed with Fletch by her father so -later buys heroin from a drug dealer named Nige. Sasha and Fletch suffer a painful comedown in Sasha's bedroom . She is sick and suffers from nausea and paranoia.
On 23 April 2008 Sasha was dumped by Fletch and then went round to Ste's an asked him for heroin. She asks Ste to inject the heroin into her wrists, but Sasha soon collapses. Ste panics and drags her into the village and leaves her in an alleyway. Calvin finds Sasha and she is rushed to hospital. The following day Sasha wakes up in hospital and is confronted by Calvin. To fund their heroin habit Sasha and Fletch begin stealing from locals including friends and family. Fletch tried to rob Drive 'n' Buy but was caught by Josh, whilst Sasha stole possessions from her brother Danny to fund her heroin habit. Sasha and Fletch steal a laptop from school using Leo's keys. However they are caught by Lauren and are forced to give the laptop back. On 4 June 2008 Sasha became desperate for more heroin and resorted to having sex with Nige for drugs. Nige promises that he will give Sasha more drugs if Sasha has sex with him. Afterwards Sasha asks for her drugs but Nige leaves Sasha with nothing. Nige tells Fletch about him and Sasha, Fletch dumps Sasha and refuses to give her heroin. Sasha finds Fletch slumped in an alleyway barely conscious after he had just finished a fix, Sasha still desperate for more heroin searched through Fletch's bag and pockets looking for heroin she could steal, but finds nothing. Fletch asks Sasha to run away to London with him, however, Sasha turns down the offer.However, Sasha has finally overcome her drug use, with the help of her family. On the day Sasha got her exam results back, Fletch returns, convincing Sasha he is clean. In the park, he is talking to her when she discovers marks on his hands, discovering he has been injecting himself with heroin. Fletch then mugs her. In Hollyoaks Later in November 2008, Sasha and the Dirty Diegos take part in the battle of the band competition in Liverpool, with the opportunity to tour with The Saturdays
. After making friends with Vanessa White
and Frankie Sandford
in the toilets, Frankie & Vanessa later invite her on tour, which she immediately accepts.
Sasha begins a friendship with Warren Fox
's mentally disabled foster brother, Spencer, but is using Spencer as a means to get closer to Warren. They begin a relationship which is shortlived when a hate campaign against Warren was started by Clare Devine
and Warren was killed in a fire at the loft Sasha. In Hollyoaks: The Morning After the Night Before
, Sasha decides to go to Manchester where Josh and Dave Colburn
were. She is followed by a strange man but Josh stop him harming her. She and Josh later sleep together.On a night out with Dave and his friends Sasha is arrested for attempting to drive a car while on drugs and without a licence. Sasha is attacked in an alleyway by a mystery person after a night out. After telling Michaela about it Michaela advised her to tell the police, if not for her sake for other girls' sakes however Sasha decided against it. She is involved in a car crash but is mainly unscathed. When Sasha spots an article in the paper about another girl being attacked she opens up to Calvin who supports her and encourages her to tell the police which she does, the incident seems to strengthen her bond with her brother. Her new found trust in Calvin doesn't last long however as Mercedes tells her, he left Warren to die. Sasha is horrified and when she confronts Calvin, he claims he did it for her. Sasha makes cit lear to everyone that Calvin is dead to her. She then gives the Valentines an ultimatum to either choose between her and Calvin. The family decides to stick by Sasha and forces Calvin to move out. Sash leaves to live in London with Lauren and her step mother.
commented on Sasha saying "Sasha is left reeling on Wednesday, after Mercedes reveals that Calvin left Warren to die in The Loft, and she is even more stunned to discover that Leo knew. Still, it takes something like this to put an expression on Sasha's face (usually, little short of electroconvulsive therapy does that), so it's a good outcome." The Metro described Sasha's time on the show as "Teenager Sasha has been through so much - family troubles, heroin addiction and a dangerously addictive relationship with bad boy Warren Fox". The Sun labelled Sasha a "junkie". On the character MSN
said "You name it, Sasha's been there".
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the long-running Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
, played by Nathalie Emmanuel
Nathalie Emmanuel
Nathalie Joanne Emmanuel is a British actress best known for her role in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks as Sasha Valentine, which she played from 2006 to 2010....
. The character first appeared on-screen on 17 July 2006 as part of the newly introduced Valentine family. The character has been at the center of many high profile storylines including experimenting with recreational drugs
Recreational drug use
Recreational drug use is the use of a drug, usually psychoactive, with the intention of creating or enhancing recreational experience. Such use is controversial, however, often being considered to be also drug abuse, and it is often illegal...
, a heroin addiction and a subsequent overdose, prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, a victim of a series of violent attacks, portraying a gangster's moll
Gun moll
Gun moll is a term that refers to the female companion of a male professional criminal. In some contexts, gun moll more specifically suggests that the woman handles a firearm....
and binge drinking
Binge drinking
Binge drinking or heavy episodic drinking is the modern epithet for drinking alcoholic beverages with the primary intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time. It is a kind of purposeful drinking style that is popular in several countries worldwide,...
. In March 2010, Paul Marquess announced that 11 characters are to depart the show which included Sasha. Although it was initially reported Emmanuel was axed on screen brother Ricky Whittle
Ricky Whittle
Ricky Whittle is a British actor from Oldham, Greater Manchester.-Biography:The son of former Royal Air Force serviceman Harry Whittle, Whittle grew up travelling with his father's career around the world, with a home base at Burghfield Common near Reading, Berkshire.A keen sportsman, Whittle...
confirmed she had planned to leave at the end of her contract. Emmanuel left in 2010 and was later credited on 1 December 2010 for a flashback episode.
Characterisation
E4 described Sasha as a "smart girl with a nose for trouble much to the dismay of her older brother Calvin. She's a major flirt and once she sets her sight on her man there's no going back until she gets exactly what she wants!". Emmanuel described Sasha as having an "addictive personality" and as being "very immature. I think it comes down to her general lack of judgement!-she's actually very unsure of herself". On the character's development Emmanuel said "I do think Sasha will change, growing more independent but she will always be vulnerable due to her tragic experiences so far in her short life," said the 20-year-old. I think Sasha's character before the drugs and Warren was very shy and not overly confident in herself. The thrill from drugs and bad boy Warren gave her the confidence that she craves. The loss of her mother and her inconsistency of her dads parenting doesn't give her a secure environment and so she feels insignificant within her family." BBC AmericaBBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
described the character as "the quiet, observing type. The youngest member of the Valentine family, she is also the glue that holds them together, the peaceful center in a tornado of madness. She's constantly rolling her eyes at her brother Sonny's antics. She also has an unrequited crush on Sonny's best friend, Justin Burton, but she's managed to remain relationship-free while in Hollyoaks." The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
labelled her a "troubled teen" and "former goody-two-shoes". The Daily Star described her as a wild child and "not a bad girl at heart".
Storylines
Sasha arrives in Hollyoaks village with her brothers Sonny and Calvin and her mother Diane. Sasha was close to her mother, and was distraught at her mothers death when she was run over by Jake DeanJake Dean
Jake Dean is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kevin Sacre. Sacre portrayed the character between 2002 and 2008, before making a return on 5 October 2009. In March 2010, Sacre was axed from the series by Paul Marquess during his major revamp and cast...
. Sasha, Calvin, and Sonny's dad Leo shows up soon after Diane's death and moves into their home. Sasha is the only one to remember her late mother's birthday, so she goes to her graveside with Justin Burton
Justin Burton
Justin Burton is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Chris Fountain. The character arrived in 2003 and departed on 3 June 2009. Justin arrived in a family of six, however by September 2006, his entire family had left the show...
. Justin accuses his ex-girlfriend Becca Dean
Becca Dean
Rebecca "Becca" Dean is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Ali Bastian. She debuted on-screen during episodes airing in 2001 and departed on 14 February 2007.-Storylines:...
of seducing him when he was a minor, and begin living in the Valentine home because of his friendship with Sonny. He smokes cannabis, and offers her some, which she refuses. She covers for him by telling Calvin she was the one who was smoking, which leads to some conflict between brother and sister. She tries to win over Justin's favour by waiting for him in Sonny's
Sonny Valentine
Sonny Valentine is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Devon Anderson, who played the character between 2006 and 2007 before he was sacked for "time-keeping issues".-Character description:...
bedroom while Sonny is out. When Justin came in nothing happens between them because it was too soon after Becca. They sleep together after Becca is imprisoned. He tells her she was too young and they couldn't see each other. She soon stops tryingv to seduce him and they begin a friendship.
Sasha achieves straight A's in her GCSE exams, and around this time develops a crush on Fletch. Michaela is also interested in him, and seduces him when he comes over to her house. Sasha goes out with him the next day, and is about to take the relationship further if Michaela had not walked in on them, revealing that she had slept with him. Sasha's father-daughter dinner with Leo is interrupted by a woman crashing through a window. The woman is Valerie Holden whom her father had an affair with and the two teenagers are her half brother and sister Danny
Danny Valentine
Daniel "Danny" Valentine is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by David Judge. He first appeared in 2007 and made his final appearance in 2008.-Background:...
& Lauren
Lauren Valentine
Lauren Valentine is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Dominique Jackson. First appearing in 2007, Lauren was written out of the show in 2010 along with the rest of the Valentine family as part of series producer Paul Marquess's overhaul of the...
.
Fletch takes up drugs and offers Josh and Sasha them, but they refuse. Later that night, Valerie takes Sasha out clubbing. This results in Katy and Val having a fight and Sasha and Val being thrown out. They were then arrested by Calvin and spend night in the cells. After overhearing an argument between Valerie and Leo in which he calls her boring she leaves to find Fletch who gives her some cannabis, which she smokes. During Niall Rafferty
Niall Rafferty
Niall Rafferty is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Barry Sloane. He first appeared during an episode broadcast on 3 December 2007. Former Brookside actor Sloane was cast as the "mysterious" hairdresser Niall and was introduced by the series' producer...
's party Sasha and Fletch took some Speed
Amphetamine
Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...
. Sasha hallucinates and sees her Dad angry at her for taking speed. Sasha complains that her heart is beating extremely fast and won't stop, she also complains her jaw and stomach was hurting. Sasha was then sick before Lauren found her. On 11 February, Sasha and Calvin have an argument after he catches her smoking weed
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
with Fletch, and Sasha started mocking him and Carmel
Carmel McQueen
Carmel Valentine is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Gemma Merna. She debuted on-screen during episodes airing in August 2006 and was introduced by series producer Bryan Kirkwood as part of the McQueen family...
. Calvin pushs Sasha causing her to bang her head on the wooden staircase. Sasha moves out of the Valentine's and into Amy and Ste's. Sasha and Fletch decided to take heroin. But the morning after they take the heroin Sasha and Fletch suffer a massive comedown in Amy and Ste's bathroom. Ste finds out and chucks Sasha and Fletch out the flat for taking the heroin. After this Sasha moves back in with the rest of the Valentine's. Sasha is caught in bed with Fletch by her father so -later buys heroin from a drug dealer named Nige. Sasha and Fletch suffer a painful comedown in Sasha's bedroom . She is sick and suffers from nausea and paranoia.
On 23 April 2008 Sasha was dumped by Fletch and then went round to Ste's an asked him for heroin. She asks Ste to inject the heroin into her wrists, but Sasha soon collapses. Ste panics and drags her into the village and leaves her in an alleyway. Calvin finds Sasha and she is rushed to hospital. The following day Sasha wakes up in hospital and is confronted by Calvin. To fund their heroin habit Sasha and Fletch begin stealing from locals including friends and family. Fletch tried to rob Drive 'n' Buy but was caught by Josh, whilst Sasha stole possessions from her brother Danny to fund her heroin habit. Sasha and Fletch steal a laptop from school using Leo's keys. However they are caught by Lauren and are forced to give the laptop back. On 4 June 2008 Sasha became desperate for more heroin and resorted to having sex with Nige for drugs. Nige promises that he will give Sasha more drugs if Sasha has sex with him. Afterwards Sasha asks for her drugs but Nige leaves Sasha with nothing. Nige tells Fletch about him and Sasha, Fletch dumps Sasha and refuses to give her heroin. Sasha finds Fletch slumped in an alleyway barely conscious after he had just finished a fix, Sasha still desperate for more heroin searched through Fletch's bag and pockets looking for heroin she could steal, but finds nothing. Fletch asks Sasha to run away to London with him, however, Sasha turns down the offer.However, Sasha has finally overcome her drug use, with the help of her family. On the day Sasha got her exam results back, Fletch returns, convincing Sasha he is clean. In the park, he is talking to her when she discovers marks on his hands, discovering he has been injecting himself with heroin. Fletch then mugs her. In Hollyoaks Later in November 2008, Sasha and the Dirty Diegos take part in the battle of the band competition in Liverpool, with the opportunity to tour with The Saturdays
The Saturdays
The Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with...
. After making friends with Vanessa White
Vanessa White
Vanessa Karen White is an English pop singer and songwriter. White was born to a Nigerian father and Spanish-Filipino mother. She rose to fame in 2008 as a member of English/Irish girl-group The Saturdays. She is the youngest member of the band. White is noted for her extensive vocal range.-Early...
and Frankie Sandford
Frankie Sandford
Francesca "Frankie" Sandford is an English pop and R&B singer-songwriter and currently a member of girl group The Saturdays; under the record label of Fascination Records and Polydor Records. The band have had huge success, releasing eleven singles of which ten have charted inside the top 10 on...
in the toilets, Frankie & Vanessa later invite her on tour, which she immediately accepts.
Sasha begins a friendship with Warren Fox
Warren Fox
Warren Fox is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jamie Lomas. He first arrived in 2006 as an old acquaintance of Sean Kennedy and quickly became known as the show's main villain...
's mentally disabled foster brother, Spencer, but is using Spencer as a means to get closer to Warren. They begin a relationship which is shortlived when a hate campaign against Warren was started by Clare Devine
Clare Devine
Clare Devine is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Gemma Bissix and Samantha Rowley. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 26 December 2005 and was introduced by series producer David Hanson as a new love interest for Max Cunningham...
and Warren was killed in a fire at the loft Sasha. In Hollyoaks: The Morning After the Night Before
Hollyoaks: The Morning After the Night Before
Hollyoaks: The Morning After the Night Before was a British Internet Serial-Drama,which began airing on 6 July 2009. A spin-off from the established Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, it was set in the city of Manchester a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester...
, Sasha decides to go to Manchester where Josh and Dave Colburn
Dave Colburn
David "Dave" Colburn is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Elliot James Langridge. He first appeared in Hollyoaks online spin-off, Hollyoaks: The Morning After the Night Before, which explored the dangers of binge drinking...
were. She is followed by a strange man but Josh stop him harming her. She and Josh later sleep together.On a night out with Dave and his friends Sasha is arrested for attempting to drive a car while on drugs and without a licence. Sasha is attacked in an alleyway by a mystery person after a night out. After telling Michaela about it Michaela advised her to tell the police, if not for her sake for other girls' sakes however Sasha decided against it. She is involved in a car crash but is mainly unscathed. When Sasha spots an article in the paper about another girl being attacked she opens up to Calvin who supports her and encourages her to tell the police which she does, the incident seems to strengthen her bond with her brother. Her new found trust in Calvin doesn't last long however as Mercedes tells her, he left Warren to die. Sasha is horrified and when she confronts Calvin, he claims he did it for her. Sasha makes cit lear to everyone that Calvin is dead to her. She then gives the Valentines an ultimatum to either choose between her and Calvin. The family decides to stick by Sasha and forces Calvin to move out. Sash leaves to live in London with Lauren and her step mother.
Reception
Jaci Stephen of the Daily mailDaily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
commented on Sasha saying "Sasha is left reeling on Wednesday, after Mercedes reveals that Calvin left Warren to die in The Loft, and she is even more stunned to discover that Leo knew. Still, it takes something like this to put an expression on Sasha's face (usually, little short of electroconvulsive therapy does that), so it's a good outcome." The Metro described Sasha's time on the show as "Teenager Sasha has been through so much - family troubles, heroin addiction and a dangerously addictive relationship with bad boy Warren Fox". The Sun labelled Sasha a "junkie". On the character MSN
MSN
MSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...
said "You name it, Sasha's been there".
External links
- Sasha Valentine on the E4 website
- Character profiles on the BBC AmericaBBC AmericaBBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
website