Cher McQueen (also Winters) is a fictional character from the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Bethannie Hare.

Her storylines in the seriew have included the revelation that she killed her younger sister, her tumultuous relationship with her stepmother Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe), her romantic relationship with Romeo Nightingale (Owen Warner), learning that Romeo and Mercedes have been having an affair, a suicide attempt due to feeling isolated, and dealing with the death of her father Sylver in an explosion.

Hare expressed shock at the secret but felt that knowing more about Cher's backstory allowed her to feel connected to her character.

Stephen Patterson of the Metro felt that Cher "made one heck of an entrance" and she was subsequently nominated for Best Newcomer at the I Talk Telly Awards.

Cher's exit sees her decide to mend her relationship with her mother, Kelly Winters (Jenny Wickham), due to the impact that Sylver's death had on her.

Hare had planned to appear on the soap for two years from the beginning of her tenure and she told the producers in advance so that they could prepare her character's exit, which she felt was apt for Cher.

She was proud of the journey that her character had been on in her two years on Hollyoaks and stated that her favourite storyline to film was Cher's suicide attempt, which she worked with the Samaritans on.

[6] In a video for the Hollyoaks social media channels, Hare stated that the response to her casting announcement was positive, which made her excited to film upcoming storylines.

[8] In an interview with Duncan Lindsay for the Metro newsletter, she stated that she feels lucky to have secured the role of Cher, particularly due to the impact of the pandemic.

Chris Edwards from Digital Spy stated that Cher is an aspiring hairdresser and beautician and that her arrival would bring fun and energy into the fictional village.

Edwards also confirmed that Cher's motive for moving to the village was to find out more about her father, since the only piece of information she knows prior to meeting him is that he is a convicted murderer.

[2] Speaking to Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy about the secret, Hare stated that despite Cher's sassy attitude, she keeps a lot to herself and keeps a front up, and noted that she especially does it with Sylver and love interest Romeo Nightingale (Owen Warner).

[11] Hare added that the secret is always in the back of Cher's mind, making her feel unsafe and as though she cannot form close relationships with others.

[11] In scenes aired in October 2020, it was revealed that Cher had accidentally killed her half-sister Liza prior to her arrival in the village.

[22] When Mercedes discovers that Cher planted the drugs in her bag, she excuses it since she feels bad for ruining her birthday party.

Cher spies an opportunity for revenge and performs "her most twisted act to date" by dressing up as Mercedes and destroying the cot on camera.

Romeo pleads with nurse Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell) to get Cher medication for the burns, who agrees due to dating his sister Juliet (Niamh Blackshaw).

[28] Mercedes checks herself into a rehabilitation centre due to believing she is mentally unwell, but upon her release, Peri accidentally exposes Cher to her.

On the secret coming out, Hare told Inside Soap that it is the worst moment of Cher's life since she fears she could lose her newly found family.

The reason for all of her actions is wanting to be close to Sylver and she becomes petrified by the thought of losing him due to a plan she never intended to become so dark.

[30] Hare spoke to the Samaritans and people who had attempted suicide prior to filming the storyline, as she wanted the scenes to be honest and accurate.

When the Salon de Thé explodes, Cher becomes trapped under the rubble and Mercedes, who is also in the building, struggles to retrieve her from underneath.

The grief also leads her to "get caught up in certain situations that she ends up regretting", including kissing a married Tom Cunningham (Ellis Hollins).

Hare was emotional to leave the soap but knew from the moment she was cast as Cher that she wanted to stay on the series for around two years, a decision she told the producers in advance.

She appreciated the way her exit was written, feeling that Cher's decision was apt due to her character growth over her time in the village.

Hare was asked if she would have preferred for Cher to die in the stunt, but she felt that the canon ending was better due to the viewers being able to see her growth after her father's death.

"[3] Stephen Patterson of the Metro wrote that Cher's introduction on the series was a "proper McQueen welcome"[10] and that she had "made one heck of an entrance".

She expressed her gratitude that people can see that Cher did not intend to murder Liza and was thankful that "the guilt is coming across" to the viewers.

[31] Patterson described Cher's suicide attempt as "emotional"[29] and branded Hare's performance as "superb" for her part in the storyline.

[36] Following the news of Hare's departure, Patterson labelled her one of the "finest" characters and felt that in her time on Hollyoaks, she "became part of the show's very fabric".