Zara Morgan

Casting

In July 2005, it was announced that the serial's production team planned to write out some of their established characters. Kris Green of Digital Spy said he had heard that Greenwood's contract would not be renewed. In November, it was reported Greenwood had already finished filming with the series. Greenwood said that she was already pursuing other projects. Producers remained secretive about how they would write Zara out of the series.

Storylines

Zara was introduced as the youngest member of the Morgan clan. Zara struggled to settle in Hollyoaks and as a result caused endless trouble at her new school, culminating in her trying to burn down her school after an argument about her art project, and she was sent for psychological assessment.

Zara was affected by her parents' marriage problems and often found herself second to her elder siblings, especially Luke Morgan, who was trying to cope with his rape ordeal, and later Adam Morgan, after he was paralysed. Zara was also very protective of her family as she defended her father after her mother was dating another man. She also supported Adam through his disability and Beth Morgan through her trial.

Zara was friends with Steph Dean, who proved to be a bad influence on her, and later she made friends with Abby Davies, who proved to be a more grounded friend than Steph, but who was not averse to getting into trouble. After causing trouble by inventing a fictitious relationship with Paul Millington, Zara set her sights on Brian Drake. She became a Goth and won his heart, only later to lose him to Steph and then Lisa Hunter. Zara then began to grow up into a young woman, but was hurt when she realised she had to leave for France; however, Abby kindly offered Zara a place to stay with the Davies'. Since Brian, Zara didn't have many love interests, but did share a brief kiss with Norman Sankofa, who wasn't interested.

After a visiting her parents in France, Zara returned and boasted about losing her virginity to a French guy named Hugo. Soon Hugo turned up in Hollyoaks in search of Zara, leaving her to tell the truth that she was still a virgin. Her virginity wasn’t to last long as Zara turned her attentions to Abby’s boyfriend Lee Hunter (Alex Carter). She ended up having a one-night stand with him, in which she lost her virginity. However, Lee didn’t want much more to do with Zara and as soon as their secret got out, her friendship with Abby was at risk. Soon after, the pair eventually made up, but Zara still had a keen interest in Lee. She began to date Cameron Clark, but only to make Lee jealous, and that relationship didn’t work out either.

With the departure of Abby leaving for Brighton, Zara felt more isolated than ever. She moved into the halls at Hollyoaks Community College. It was there she started a law degree, something she became interested in a couple of years previously after her sister Beth Morgan was raped by Scott Anderson. She soon took a shine to fellow Law student Sam Owen but he wasn't interested and eventually Zara found comfort with English literature student Freddy Watson, but it wasn’t to last as Zara was thrown out of HCC after she tried to break into the college to try to help Lee after he had been framed by Chris Fenwick for a fire in the media lab which had actually been started by Freddy for an animal rights demonstration. Zara then decided to move to Thailand to work for charity, and to accompany her, Lee joined her as the pair decided to get together after admitting their feelings for one another.