Casualty actress Melanie Hill who plays Siobhan McKenzie fears her character has gone too far as she becomes involved in her colleague’s abuse storyline as it takes a major turn

Melanie Hill reveals her character has gone too far and ‘crossed a line’

Casualty star Melanie Hill has revealed that her character’s empathetic nature has made her cross a professional line as she involves herself in her colleague’s abusive past.

The BBC star, 62, has been a shoulder to cry on for Cam Mickelthwaite, played by Barney Walsh as he struggles to come to terms with abuse from his past. But Melanie is now concerned for her character as she feels as though Siobhan McKenzie has “crossed a line.”

She said: “She has crossed the professional line with Cam because it’s a kind of a mothering instinct that came out in her and she’s not kept it professional. She’s said, ‘Look, I know a policeman, let me come with you [and we’ll do] it together [report it]. I will be with you. I will stand by you and and it’s, and it’s just that mother instinct that she’s, that she’s relying on the minute.”

Melanie Hill reveals her character has gone too far and ‘crossed a line’ (Image:

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Cam bravely opened up to Siobhan about the abuse he was subjected to at the hands of Jamie Cleveland, played by Ryan Hawley, who claimed he was acquitted of the charges. And after a huge row in a pub with his best friend, the abuse storyline started to unfold. Viewers saw that Cam was told Jamie had been reported missing and due to realising the history between the pair, Melanie said that Siobhan starts to believe Cam is involved in Jamie’s disappearance.

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Melanie added during her chat with the Express: “That just ramps it up because Jamie goes missing and there is a question if Cam has done something to him. It becomes quite like a thriller. It’s got that element of excitement to it.” Melanie, who also appeared in Coronation Street, said that Siobhan’s attempts to help Cam are stemmed from guilt, as she called him out for his lack of attention while at work.

And because she adopts a motherly instinct towards Cam, she feels compelled to help him and “defend them [her staff] to the ends of the earth, basically.” In 2022, Melanie quit her role as Cathy Matthews in Coronation Street after seven years, to spend more time with her family.

At the time, she said: “It’s not been an easy thing to decide. My family has been important but the pandemic has made a lot of people think about the future. It has changed a lot of things in my head. You’ve just got to see what’s important to you. I absolutely love everybody but it’s made me think about my family a lot and what the priorities are in my life.” Melanie had to look after her mum who was 88 at the time. She added: “I’ve been at my mum’s for two weeks and what’s nice is I’ve got the freedom to do that because soaps are pretty relentless. You never stop, really, and you’re always on call.”

She added: ““My sister Samantha normally helps look after my mum but she is in hospital with a smashed leg. It’s lucky that I finished shooting just over two weeks ago so I’m here the whole time. If I was still working on Corrie, I would have been going out of my mind with worry. I cannot stand letting people down – and even if I’ve been ill, I would turn up for work. Now I don’t have to worry as much.”