In November 2009 Loretta became the centre of media controversy when various media outlets announced that Loretta would be part of a storyline which revealed that she had murdered a child in her past. The controversy began when tabloid newspaper The mother of murdered toddler James Bulger, Denise Fergus, condemned the storyline. While speaking to the news website Click Liverpool she criticised the decision to air a plot that allegedly mirrored her son's death, stating they should have consulted her first. She said, "I'm shocked and disgusted at what "Hollyoaks" is doing. They have clearly based this story on what happened to James and it's outrageous that they should do this without consulting with me in any way." She threatened to encourage a boycott of the show. Channel 4 released a statement defending the plot, explaining it had nothing to do with any real life case: "The forthcoming storyline is not based on any real-life case and it will in no way seek to recreate real events. The storyline focuses on the psychological repercussions for two characters in the show who were responsible for the death of a 12-year-old girl in the past."