Rhys Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Andrew Moss. He made his first on-screen appearance in September 2005. Rhys was killed off in the Enjoy The Ride storyline in an episode airing on 15 November 2012 and the character departed on 16 November 2012. Rhys made a return on 27 June 2014 as part of his ex-girlfriend Cindy Cunningham's (Stephanie Waring) storyline about her bipolar disorder. Character creation and casting In 2004, Jo Hallows stepped down from her position as series producer at Hollyoaks and it was announced that David Hanson would succeed her in the role. In 2005, it was revealed that Hanson would introduce a new family to the series: the Ashworths consisting of father Neville Ashworth (Jim Millea), mother Suzanne (Suzanne Hall), son Josh (Sonny Flood), daughter Hannah (Emma Rigby), family friend Gilly Roach (Anthony Quinlan) and son Rhys. It was announced that television newcomer Andrew Moss had been cast as Rhys. In January 2010, it was announced that Lucy Allan had stepped down from the position of series producer and that Paul Marquess had taken over the role. It was soon revealed that Marquess planned to give Hollyoaks a "shake up", changing the productions team and beginning a cast cull by axing three established characters: Neville, Suzanne and Josh Ashworth. As well as the axings, Emma Rigby, who played Hannah, had chosen to quit the previous year, bowing out in February 2010. However, it was revealed that the character of Rhys would stay in the series after his on-screen family's departure along with Duncan Button (Dean Aspen), the family's godson. In July 2009, in an interview with soap website Holy Soap Moss revealed that exits of his on-screen family were sad, he commented, "It's really strange. We all started together. It was brilliant to come to a show like this as part of a family unit. You don't feel like you're on your own." Character development In 2010 Rhys embarked on a "surprise" relationship with Jacqui McQueen (Claire Cooper). Moss first hinted at their romance months prior stating: "I think Rhys is going to fall in love again. It's a character already in the village. It's quite surprising. It's a character who's been here for a while." The relationship proved popular with viewers, during an interview with Digital Spy, Cooper spoke of her original lack of optimism