reputation as a maneater" and "bitchy". Abuse It is revealed that Mandy's father Dennis (David McAllister) had sexually and physically abused Mandy when she was younger. Dunn noted that in the scripts she realised "weird" events happening surrounding Mandy happening before she was told that Mandy would become involved in a child abuse storyline. Due to Dunn's young age while portraying the storyline she had to give permission and have parental permission to portray the abuse storyline. Dunn stated that she carried out research into the subject before filming the storyline. Dunn praised McAllister, crediting him for making the scenes realistic, saying he "was so believable that I was genuinely scared in the scenes. He would be vicious and just grab hold of me, and all of the fear from me would be real". Mandy runs away from home. Dennis and her brother Lewis Richardson (Ben Hull) track her down, working in a "seedy" Soho lap dancing club. Dunn explained that when Mandy sees Dennis she "can't believe it. It's what she's been dreading since she ran away - the one person she dislikes most in the world turning up on her doorstep". The actress explained Mandy is "terrified and just wants to get away from him as quickly as she can. She can't face the hurt again". While filming the scenes, Dunn and other cast members visited real lap dancing clubs. Dunn felt that this made the scenes "look really convincing". Relationship with Tony Hutchinson Mandy begins a relationship with Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard). Dunn said that when she was first informed of the storyline she was surprised due to the age gap between the characters. She added that although she felt the pairing was unlikely, "it did actually work". Tony's ex-girlfriend Ruth Osborne (Terri Dwyer) returns. Mandy becomes jealous when Ruth and Tony spend time together. Mandy deliberately stands Tony up, leaving him alone with Ruth but "Tony doesn't do anything because he loves Mandy". Dwyer explained that when Tony discovers what Mandy has done he "can't believe that she didn't trust him; and begins to wonder whether their relationship is as good as he thinks it is". Ruth and Tony sleep together leaving Tony feeling guilty. Tony tells Mandy, who admits she has also cheated on him, and the couple continue their relationship. Following her mother's death and becoming Tom's guardian, Mandy "struggles with her temper". Mandy