Hollyoaks spoilers follow.

Hollyoaks favourite Nadine Mulkerrin made her last-ever appearance as Cleo McQueen this evening (May 23).

It was recently announced that the pregnant soap star would bow out from the soap for good as opposed to returning after her maternity leave, like she did three years ago, with her character's arc taking her all the way to India as part of a career switch.

Serendipitously, one of Cleo's final scenes tonight also saw her sharing an emotional moment with her real-life partner Rory Douglas-Speed, who plays Joel Dexter.

cleo mcqueen in hollyoaks
Lime Pictures

Related: Hollyoaks star Gabriel Clark shares more details of on-screen son's return

Cleo's exit came as she learned that her boss Misbah Maalik had nominated her for a role on a special research project several months ago and that she has now been accepted.

With Cleo initially non-committal about moving so far away from her family and friends, her ex-boyfriend Joel was asked to convince her to follow her dreams, despite wanting to have her all to himself.

He soon worked his magic, and Cleo went back to her beloved McQueens for a goodbye party, telling the likes of Mercedes, Goldie and grandmother Nana McQueen that they'll always be in her heart even though they can't be together.

cleo mcqueen hollyoaks
E4

Addressing her permanent Hollyoaks exit last week, the 28-year-old shared: "It's been an amazing eight years at Hollyoaks. I've had the absolute ride and the best journey ever being in the iconic McQueen family.

"I have been blessed with so many incredible storylines, arriving with the Pete and Cleo storyline, the powerful sexual abuse storyline, and then the impactful bulimia storyline which crescendoed on my wedding day to my real-life fiancé, meeting Rory, and joining at 21 and leaving eight years later its been an incredibly special job.

"I feel like I will miss everybody so much and it will always have a special place in my heart. I'm ready to close the chapter and move on to the next challenge in my career and I'm just grateful for the brilliant time I've had at Hollyoaks."

hollyoaks mercedes cleo mcqueen
E4

Related: Hollyoaks' Tom Cunningham falls victim to shock James Nightingale scam

Another popular face set to wave goodbye to the soap is Gary Lucy, who plays Luke Morgan.

Luke's story is set to culminate with his tragic death, as seen in previous flash-forward scenes, and actor Gary Lucy has admitted that he was a "blubbering wreck" while shooting his final sequences.

Hollyoaks now streams first on All 4, with new episodes dropping each weekday morning. The show airs Mondays to Fridays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, and at 7pm on E4.

Selected omnibus episodes are available via Amazon Prime Video.

Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage

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Dan Seddon

Reporter, Digital Spy 

Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment

In the film and TV universe, he kneels at the altar of Jim Carrey, Daniel Plainview, Mike Ehrmantraut and Paulie Walnuts.