| Character Profile | List of appearances |
Francine "Frankie" Osborne is the daughter of Suzanne Ashworth and Darren Osborne and twin sister of JJ Osborne. She is named after her belated step-grandmother Frankie Osborne.
Born in Hollyoaks, Frankie grew up in Spain after her mother accepted a £200,000 offer from Cindy Cunningham to move away. Returning to the village in January 2024, Frankie was harbouring a harrowing secret: JJ had been sexually abusing her since they were at least nine years old. As Frankie struggled in silence, JJ was seen as the golden boy. A frightened Frankie hurt JJ one evening whilst they were alone together, setting back her brother's near-future goals of becoming a football sensation and resulting in her family wrongly perceiving her as jealous and problematic.
With a firm passion for dance, Frankie was encouraged by Nancy Osborne to join a dance squad. She enjoyed using dance as an outlet for her ordeal and was elated when she received an invitation to audition for the Performing School of Arts and Dance. She got in and won round the adults, allowing her to move to London and get away from her abuser. However, after witnessing JJ get closer to Lexi Roscoe, she had a change of heart and stayed put.
In August 2024, Frankie found the courage to tell Darren about what JJ had been putting her through. Darren promised to protect his daughter and turned against his son, but Suzanne sided with JJ, causing a rift among the family. Soon finding the courage to confront her mother and not be silenced any longer, Frankie stood up to her mother and detailed to her the shocking actions JJ had put her through. Suzanne ultimately realised that her daughter was truthful and, after sustaining injuries from a motorbike crashing into the house they were talking in, reassured her daughter with her dying breath that she believed her. Despite a sudden leukemia diagnosis, JJ ended up in court and received a prison sentence.
Biography[]
2011-2024: Birth and Move to Spain[]
Frankie and JJ were conceived during a brief affair between Darren Osborne and Suzanne Ashworth in July 2010. However, Darren first learned of Suzanne's pregnancy following her sudden return from Spain in January 2011. Suzanne confirmed that Darren was the twin's father as she had not had sex with Neville since he learned of the affair. A heavily pregnant Suzanne ended up going into labour during the grand opening of Look Sharpe and gave birth in the spa, assisted by Darren as his fiancée Nancy Hayton watched on. Eventually agreeing to give the twins the surname 'Osborne', not wanting to use her marital name 'Ashworth' nor maiden name 'Dick', Suzanne intended to name the twins Cheryl and Simon after The X Factor judges.
Darren registered the births, but took a disliking to the names Suzanne had chosen. The pair eventually agreed to name them Jack and Francine, after Darren's father Jack and step-mother Frankie. However, Darren's jealous ex-girlfriend, newly widowed millionaire Cindy Cunningham, offered Suzanne £100,000 to leave the village with the twins. Suzanne initially rejected but realised Darren wasn't ready to be a father and returned to Spain when Cindy (now wanting to hurt Darren) agreed to her counter-offer of £200,000.
Suzanne returned to the village in December 2012 for her son Rhys Ashworth's funeral. She asked Darren to visit to twins but Nancy - now Darren's wife - declined on his behalf. Darren later visited the twins and Suzanne in Spain in February 2014.
2024: Return and Abuse[]
Francine - now going by "Frankie" - returned to Hollyoaks with Jack (now JJ) and their half-sister Hannah Ashworth in January 2024. The pair were enrolled at Hollyoaks High School and caused trouble at the memorial for year 12 student Ella Richardson (who had been fatally run over a few days earlier), where Hannah introduced them to a shocked Darren. As Darren got to know his twins, he found Frankie's behaviour difficult. Frankie slapped Nancy and then accused Jack of inappropriately touching her after he placed his hand on her lower back whilst they were dancing together to his late wife Frankie's favourite Cher records. Jack was arrested and Suzanne confided in Darren that her ex-boyfriend, Paul, had also had an accusation made against him, though nothing was proven.
Nancy finds Frankie drunk and unconscious.
Frankie befriended Lucas Hay at the youth club, much to JJ's disgust. Lucas, who had been struggling with his own sexuality after being brainwashed by conversion therapist Carter Shepherd and had turned to self-harming, grew close to Frankie, who then discovered his wounds. Lucas played down his injuries to football but upset Frankie when he cancelled an evening out in town with her for Carter. Frankie stayed with Lucas after an explosive argument with Darren over Jack staying at 17 Basswood Road in March 2024. When she returned home, JJ inappropriately touched Frankie on her lower back and it was clear this wasn't the first time it had happened. Following the incident, Frankie drank herself into unconsciousness and was rushed to hospital. Upon returning home, JJ prevented Frankie from confiding in Lucas about her ordeal.
Using an undercover term to conceal his non-consensual actions, JJ asked Frankie whilst they were alone if she wanted to play "school discos" with him. A panicked Frankie slammed JJ's foot in a door, tearing a ligament and impeding his nearby future goal of becoming a football sensation. When Suzanne then innocently used the trigger words "school discos", she was shoved to the ground by Frankie, who was then arrested by Zoe Anderson. Suzanne refused to press charges against her daughter and so a social worker was sent to see Frankie. Frankie almost confided in the social worker about her abuse but didn't when she saw JJ. Instead, Suzanne gave Frankie a journal (at the suggestion of the social worker) so that she could record her feelings. However, JJ read the journal and continued abusing her. Frankie turned to self-harm, and JJ "agreed" to stop playing "school discos" upon being told that he was to blame.
Nancy uncovered Frankie's interest in dance and encouraged her to join a squad. Just as things began to look up for Frankie, JJ suffered with his long recovery progress and turned on Frankie. Accusing his twin of ruining everything for him, JJ raped Frankie behind the rotunda at the park. The next morning, an oblivious Lucas helped Frankie acquire the morning-after pill, and JJ told Suzanne and Darren about her self-harming to move suspicion off himself for her truancy. Darren discovered Frankie's emergency contraception and concluded that Lucas had pressured her into having sex. Lucas was forced to corroborate Frankie's story to protect her self-harm secret.
Frankie is freaked to see JJ at her audition.
Frankie began suffering from night terrors and Nancy decided to sleep in Frankie's bedroom. However, Nancy's daughter Morgan became ill. To prevent Nancy from having to leave to check on the baby, Frankie gave her antihistamines to help her sleep but accidentally overdosed her. JJ, aware of the truth, accused Oscar Osborne instead. Frankie prepared to move to London to study at a performing arts school. With an audition lined up in Manchester, Frankie only told her step-cousin Charlie Dean as JJ's assaults became more frequent. However, JJ found out and informed Suzanne, Darren and Nancy. Frankie lacked support from the adults as they didn't think she was ready to leave home.
Oscar talks to Frankie about the video he saw on her tablet.
A fight between Frankie and JJ, in which JJ struck her with a football boot, was recorded on Oscar's tablet. Later, during a confrontation with Nancy over Morgan's overdose, Frankie collapsed and fell down the stairs. JJ promised to stop the abuse if Frankie told the police Nancy pushed her. Nancy was charged, but had to move out in accordance with her bail conditions. Oscar uncovered the video on his tablet, but Frankie convinced him to keep quiet. Frankie was accepted into the performing arts school and - having won round the adults - looked forward to a new life in London away from her abuser. JJ suffered a seizure but Frankie decided to abandon him. JJ was rushed to hospital after being found by Darren, and confronted Frankie. Darren walked in on Frankie wishing death on JJ and decided to send her to stay with Hannah in London. Frankie agreed, but changed her mind after witnessing JJ getting closer to their cousin Lexi Roscoe.
2024-2026: Truth Exposed and Trial[]
Frankie tells Darren the truth.
Darren became suspicious as Frankie's version of events became inconsistent around the time of Nancy's plea hearing. After JJ signed a football contract and attempted to "celebrate" in the changing rooms with her, Frankie told Darren exactly what JJ had been doing to her. Darren immediately believed her but Suzanne accused her of lying, causing an enraged Darren to turn and send JJ to live with her. Frankie received a further blow when she discovered that her placement at the dance school had been deferred to January 2025 due to accomodation construction delays. She ended up back at school with JJ, but Darren told Nancy what had happened. Nancy, as the head of safeguarding, was obligated to report JJ to the police. He was arrested, but claimed that Frankie consented. Frankie confronted Suzanne once more and Suzanne finally broke, revealing that she had been suspicious. However, they were interrupted by Cleo McQueen crashing a motorbike through the front window of The Cage, killing Suzanne.
Frankie left for her course in London, returning to the village by September 2025, and found work at Price Slice. On the day of JJ's plea hearing, he collapsed and was diagnosed with leukaemia. As chemotherapy proved unsuccessful, a bone marrow transplant was required and Frankie was the only matching donor. Frankie was reluctant until a discussion with Nancy made her realise that she wanted her abuser to survive to see his day in court. The transplant was a success and JJ was tried in January 2026. On the stand, JJ made a confession and was ultimately found guilty. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment.
Frankie exposes Darren.
2026-: Sex Trafficking[]
At a celebratory meal following JJ's verdict, Frankie received a friend request from Kat Omari and began bonding with her, unaware that Kat was working under the influence of child exploiter Rex Gallagher. When Lucas's boyfriend Dillon Ray hosted a housewarming party at Weirside View, Frankie and Kat both attended with Darren. Darren got drunk and ended up in the spare bedroom with Kat, where Frankie found the pair in bed together towards the end of the night. The next day, Frankie confronted her father over what she saw. Darren fought his corner and insisted that he hadn't slept with Kat, but Kat peddled a different story. Frankie became frustrated with Darren's act of 'happy families' and told Nancy what she'd seen. Frankie decided to move into Weirside View with Lucas and Dillon.
Dillon and Frankie began using a synthetic cannabis-infused vape pen to Lucas's horror. Meanwhile, Rex Gallagher - whose gang acquired Weirside View - began storing expensive stolen beags on the property. Lucas called the police on Rex against Frankie and Dillon's advice and was ultimately evicted. As compensation for the inconvenience, Rex had Frankie and Dillon sell GHB at his party. Lucas ended up drinking a GHB-laced drink and collapsed. Frankie and Dillon took a partygoer's car and dumped him outside of the hospital. Frankie hid the drugs in an allotment owned by Jeremy Blake, but they were confiscated by police. The pair attempted to disassociate themselves from Rex, but Rex enticed them with a new car.
Rex had Kat's son, Jacob Omari, move in with Frankie and Dillon. Frankie and Jacob got on, but Jacob made a move on a scarred Frankie. Frankie attempted to confide in Vicky Grant, but Rex's half-sister Grace Black intercepted and sent Frankie a text from Vicky's phone telling her that she couldn't be helping her with her problems. Grace began manipulating Frankie, asking her to be the 'maid of honour' for her party. When Dillon and Frankie realised that they were being exploited, Grace managed to sell the 'lifestyle' to Frankie. However, Frankie was left terrified after being 'set up' with a man named Ray. She began using her vape more, and managed to steal money from Jack and Pearl Anderson.
Frankie and Dillon leave the village after Frankie is confronted by Darren, about wanting to send her to Rehab to get clean and healthy again. About a week later, Her and Dillon return along side Kat, now seemingly clean.
About a week later after returning to the Village, Frankie and Dillon are gonna leave for Egypt to stay sober but Frankie has to meet with Ray again. But she doses him to take his money, so her and Dillon can flee but Rex walks in at the time of the act. Later in the day, Frankie is all packed to leave and meet up with Dillon after Rex told them to flee permanently. As Frankie is leaving 17 Basswood Road, A brick is crashes through the window of the living room along with a Molotov starting a fire. After the fire is put out, Frankie slips out of the house to comfort Grace. During the heated conversation, Grace convinces Frankie she’s didn’t firebomb her family and agrees to help her and Dillon out of their situation. As Grace leads Frankie and Dillon to a car to get them out of the village, it’s revealed that it’s actually a kidnapping for going against her and the car drives away with Frankie and Dillon.
Appendices[]
Residences[]
| Address | Duration |
|---|---|
| 5 Oakdale Drive, Flat 1 | 2011 to 17th March 2011 |
| Spain | 17th March 2011 to 18th January 2024 |
| 17 Basswood Road | 18th January 2024 to 26th February 2026 |
| Weirside View | Since 26th February 2026 |
Employment History[]
| Job | Duration |
|---|---|
| Hollyoaks High School student | 18th January 2024 - 2025 |
| Price Slice employee | Since 2025 |
Background Information[]
- Isabelle Smith's casting as Frankie was announced in November 2023, alongside the casting of Ryan Mulvey as JJ Osborne, and Suzanne Hall reprising the role of Suzanne Ashworth.
- Frankie was aged up by two years, with her age being given as 15 in episode 6358. Following the time-jump, Frankie was aged up an additional year.
Introduction Sequence[]
- 2024: Frankie dances with Peri Lomax and Vicky Grant inside The Dog in the Pond and is later seen dancing with Darren and Nancy Osborne in the same venue.
Quotes[]
| “ | Oh. How did she die? | ” |
— First line, to Nancy Osborne.
| ||
See Also[]
Gallery[]
| Current Characters |
|---|
| Tony Hutchinson • Jack Osborne • Darren Osborne • Nancy Osborne • Ste Hay • Myra McQueen • Mercedes McQueen • John Paul McQueen • Theresa McQueen • Lucas Hay • Diane Hutchinson • Liberty Savage • Frankie Osborne • Dodger Savage • Joel Dexter • Marie Fielding • Sienna Blake • Robbie Roscoe • Freddie Roscoe • Peri Lomax • Leela Lomax • Grace Black • Cleo McQueen • Goldie McQueen • Prince McQueen • Misbah Maalik • Pearl Anderson • Vicky Grant • Dillon Ray • Donny Clark • Martha Blake • Rex Gallagher • Jeremy Blake |