Zack (2005 character)

Zack was the therapist booked by Charlie Stubbs to help his fiancee Shelley Unwin overcome her anxiety. Charlie was worried that Shelley may talk about his manipulation and advised Zack that he was dealing with a seriously disturbed person.

Shelley admitted to Zack that she had lost all confidence in herself and was now frightened to go out of the house and speak to people. Zack reassured her saying that he was going to take things slowly to begin with and set her some simple tasks and use relaxation techniques.

Charlie cornered Zack once the session had ended and demanded to know what Shelley had been saying about him. Zack deflected Charlie's aggression, saying that Shelley would benefit from counselling. He dropped off a relaxation tape for Shelley which gave her the task of taking the waste bins out to the ginnel. Shelley completed the task and was delighted with the initial success of Zack's counselling.

In their next session, Zack aimed to determine what Shelley's goals were. She admitted that following her experience with bigamous ex-husband Peter Barlow, the thing that worried her most was another wedding ceremony. Seeing Shelley's distress, Charlie assured her that the two would marry and proposed.

In order to help Shelley deal with the stress of her upcoming wedding, Zack suggested that she should mend her troubled relationship with her mother Bev. Following Zack's suggestion, Shelley was able to deal with bumping into her mum on the way to the builder's yard.

Although Shelley was proud of herself for her latest achievement, Charlie undermined her with a comment about the type of bread she had bought. Shelley tearfully cursed herself for her mistake and was determined to go to the Corner Shop to get Charlie the right bread. Zack told her not to rush her recovery which caused an argument between him and Charlie as to whether it was right for Shelley to speak to Sunita Alahan yet.

Charlie became suspicious about Zack as he and Shelley began to spend more time with each other. When Charlie saw Zack give Shelley a reassuring hug at the bus stop, he decided that he wouldn't pay for his therapy any more. Shelley begged him to change his mind but Charlie manipulated her again by telling her that Zack had a reputation for sleeping with clients.

Shelley told Zack that she did not want to see him for any more sessions. Zack accepted that this was what Shelley wanted but reminded her that she only had to phone him if she changed her mind. When Zack called round to see Shelley before her wedding, he suspected that Charlie was behind the cancellation of their sessions but she denied this, claiming it was her own wish.

Shelley ended up rejecting Charlie at the altar, telling the vicar that she didn't want to marry him. Shelley rang Zack and told her the news about her rejecting Charlie. Zack said that he was proud of Shelley and told her that it was the bravest thing he had ever heard.

List of appearances
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 * Mon 22nd Aug (1)
 * Mon 22nd Aug (2)
 * Wed 24th Aug
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 * Sun 28th Aug
 * Mon 5th Sep (1)
 * Mon 5th Sep (2)
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 * Fri 9th Sep
 * Fri 16th Sep (2)
 * Sun 18th Sep
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 * Mon 19th Sep (2)
 * Wed 21st Sep