Rhys Ashworth caught out in court

Hollyoaks' Rhys Ashworth will get caught out when he takes the stand to give evidence at best friend Gilly Roach's rape trial.

The devastated barman - who is stuck in an impossible situation when his girlfriend Jacqui McQueen (Claire Cooper) accuses his pal Gilly (Anthony Quinlan) of rape - will go into the courtroom "impartial" but will soon be tripped up by Jacqui's hotshot lawyer.

Andrew Moss - who plays Rhys in the Channel 4 soap - explained: "When he's on the stand, he's still impartial after two months of not taking a side. But he basically gets tripped up by Jacqui's barrister and almost drops Gilly in it - not through any fault of his own, but by explaining that he and Gilly have had fights over women in the past and things like that.

"He spills too much on the stand and he ends up fighting Jacqui's corner, as the barrister has tripped him up. It looks like he's chosen Jacqui's side."

With even the central cast members not knowing the outcome of the trial until it is decided by a jury made up of 'Hollyoaks' fans, Andrew thinks his usually cocky alter-ego will feel increasingly "trapped" as the weeks go on.

He added to Digital Spy: "Rhys doesn't want to believe Gilly, because that would mean Jacqui has cheated on him with his best friend and is now saying that he's raped her. But he doesn't want to believe what Jacqui is saying either, because Gilly is his best mate of 20 years and he doesn't want to believe the possibility that he's a rapist.

"Rhys feels trapped but that doubt means that he's seeing everything from the audience's point of view. I think Rhys is in an impossible situation because he doesn't know who to believe."