9. Dawn's Death In Hollyoaks (1997)
Dawn Cunningham's death on Christmas Day in 1997 shocked and upset many viewers, but unlike Tiffany, her death involved a fatal bout of Leukaemia and a highly emotional plot line. Dawn had been at the centre of various storylines over the years including her continuous troubles with her mother's boyfriend and the tracking down of the baby that she put up for adoption when she was just 16, yet she always remained easy-going and friendly to almost everyone in the soap. Dawn's best friend Jambo had always been unable to act on the strong feelings that he had for her, kissing her once after Dawn discovered her mother had breast cancer, but being debunked when Dawn told him they should stay friends. Despite this, after he helped Dawn find a kidney donor for her daughter Beth, who suffered from a kidney failure, Dawn realised that she did in fact love Jambo after all. The pair got together but it wasn't long before Dawn visited her doctor after feeling unwell and was told that she had Leukaemia. On Christmas Day of that same year, Jambo took Dawn out on a hired rowing boat to propose to her, but Dawn lost her fight with the Leukaemia and died right there in his arms.