| Diego Salvador Martinez Hernandez De La Cruz | |||||||||||
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| Hollyoaks character | |||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Juan Pablo Yepez | ||||||||||
| Duration | 2015–2017 | ||||||||||
| First appearance | 16 November 2015 | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | 8 March 2017 | ||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||
| Introduced by | Bryan Kirkwood | ||||||||||
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Diego Salvador Martinez Hernandez De La Cruz is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Juan Pablo Yepez. The character made his first on-screen appearance on 16 November 2015. Diego was introduced as a new love interest of established character Myra McQueen (Nicole Barber-Lane) following a chance meeting in Alicante, Spain. Yepez auditioned for the role then met with Barber-Lane and after a successful screen test was offered the part. It was his first regular British television role after moving to the country from Venezuela. The character's first scenes proved controversial due to his ownership of a Confederate flag at a time it was deemed socially unacceptable. Diego is also a Venezuelan national and he is characterised as a romantic person, with honest values and a fresh outlook on life. He also has a cheeky and charming personality.
He follows Myra to Hollyoaks village under the impression she is a countess. But despite learning she deceived him the pair resume their relationship. Yepez has explained that his character just tends to follow his heart. His main storyline has focused on his romance with Myra and his desire to start a family with her. The character has proved popular with some critics of the genre, mostly due to the character being deemed aesthetically pleasing. Following the end of his relationship with Myra, Diego departed on 8 March 2017.