Hollyoaks' Andrew: Joel's hiding softer side

Hollyoaks newcomer Andrew Still has insisted his character Joel Dexter is hiding a vulnerable side.

The mysterious teen arrived in Hollyoaks looking for his father, Warren Fox, and while he has been keeping his guard up, Andrew told Digital Spy he thinks Joel has a lot of issues behind his tough exterior.

Andrew said: "There's been a lot of people calling Joel a bad boy and I think he does have that side to him, but I think mostly he's a guy with a lot of issues.

"He's also searching for something because he doesn't really have a focus in his life - he's quite floaty as a character and when we first saw him, he didn't even have anywhere to stay.

"At first, finding his dad was the main thing for Joel and now that he's found him, he's trying to connect with him and find that connection that he doesn't really have anywhere else. He's got a tough outer shell, but inside he's quite vulnerable."

Joel has arrived in the village in the run up to Jamie Lomas, who plays Warren, leaving the soap.

But Andrew revealed that Joel "definitely has a place in the village" and thinks he could have a romance with Theresa McQueen.

He said: "I do think that's something that could possibly be explored more in the future. We'll just have to see, because obviously Theresa is with Will at the moment.

"But I definitely think there's something left over between Theresa and Joel, and it's something that could possibly be explored more."