Sarah Hills

Name: Sarah Hills
First Appeared: 7th September 1995
Last Appeared: 8th October 1999
Played by: Daniela Denby-Ashe

Sarah Hills made her dramatic entrance in Albert Square alongside her dad, Ted Hills, and brother, Tony Hills. The family dinner party quickly turned sour when Ted was forced to admit that his business was in trouble after a boy tragically died falling off scaffolding, leading to harassment from the boy’s family. Sarah, ever the troublemaker, began shoplifting from various market stalls, catching the eye of Alistair Matthews, a shop manager and religious cult leader. To avoid being turned in to the police, Sarah turned to religion and soon found herself attending regular meetings with Alistair’s cult.

In 1997, Sarah’s life took another twist when she had sex with Robbie Jackson. Ashamed of her actions, she ran away and lived rough on the streets. This led to her father, Ted, attacking Robbie, accusing him of rape and landing him in the hospital. When Sarah returned home, she was horrified to learn what her father had done. This prompted her to move in with her aunt, Kathy Mitchell, her husband Phil, and cousin Ben. Despite Kathy’s attempts to reconcile Sarah and Ted, Sarah was disgusted by her father’s violent behaviour and reported him to the police. Ted was arrested, and although they tried to make amends, Sarah couldn’t shake the feeling that Ted believed he was justified in his actions.

Sarah found solace in her friendship with the new local vicar, Alex Healy, and continued her religious faith after exposing Alistair. Her romantic life, however, was a rollercoaster. She got engaged to Joe Wicks, but the engagement was short-lived after Joe had sex with Mary Flaherty. Sarah then began a romance with Matthew Rose, which ended when she discovered he was only interested in her for sex.

In October 1999, Sarah left Walford to attend university. It has since been mentioned that she reconciled with Joe several years later, adding a hopeful twist to her tumultuous journey in Albert Square.