Rhiannon Salt is a red-headed girl who initially appears to have a nasty, spiteful personality. However, it is soon revealed, that she is just a vulnerable girl who needs help, as in one episode, she reveals self harm scars due to body and family issues. She does accept help, and from that point, she seems to be in a better place.
Series 8
Academically, Rhiannon is not a particularly clever girl, and she was a member of the PRU during Series 8. In early Series 8 it is mentioned that she does not want to return to a care home after Grantly Budgen jokingly asks if she wants to return to Rochdale, meaning she probably attended the old school, however was never seen onscreen before the series began.
Her first few episodes see Rhiannon carrying out a spiteful campaign of bullying against Scout Allen for no apparent reason, defacing her photo of her brother Liam and attempting to get Scout into trouble on multiple occasions. Scout and Rhiannon later become friends after Scout helps Rhiannon after discovering her self-harm scars after Rhiannon collapses during a power walk with Audrey McFall.
Later in the series, she pretends she sleeps with Barry Barry, and they do snog in one scene, though it is clear he is just using her.
In Series 8 Episode 16, she befriends former pupil Bolton Smilie after giving him a tour of the school.
In Series 8 Episode 22, Rhiannon pretends to Dynasty and Imogen that she has slept with her friend and boss's son, Naz, who in the end she does end up dating after he says he wished the lie that they slept together was in fact true.
When Kyle returns to the school in Series 8 Episode 30 after serving his time in prison, she is seen to be very close to him, giving him a kiss on the cheek and becoming visibly upset when people don't care where he's gone, even making a public statement about it before rushing outside in an emotional state, which is surprising as Rhiannon and Kyle never actually appeared in an episode together prior to this.
She is also seen very upset when Tom Clarkson dies.
Series 9
In Series 9 Episode 4, Rhiannon wants to get herself a date for the Waterloo Junktion launch party, and Dynasty gives her a makeover, following which Rhiannon asks Darren Hughes to the dance and he says yes, but Barry Barry soon bullies Darren into getting Rhiannon to send Darren saucy pictures which Darren sends to Barry, and Barry then sends them round the school, to Rhiannon's intense humiliation.
Rhiannon attends Grantly Budgen's funeral in Series 9 Episode 7, devastated at his death.
In Series 9 Episode 8, the school goes all out on 'living history week', with staff dressing in military uniform and the students dressing as if they are from the 1940s. Audrey McFall, wanting the whole thing to be as authentic as possible, bans the students from normal lunch and snacks, instead having them eat rations like in the war. Rhiannon takes this too seriously and ends up fainting from a lack of food.
In the second half of Series 9, Rhiannon starts a somewhat one-sided friendship with new student Gabriella Wark. In Series 9 Episode 13, Gabriella, Rhiannon and Imogen agree to meet up after school for a night out, but Gabriella lies to Rhiannon about where they are meeting, and Rhiannon waits for ages in a dodgy bar while Gabriella is at another pub on her latest attempt to woo Hector Reid. Imogen and Gabriella eventually meet Rhiannon in the dodgy bar, where they all proceed to get quite drunk, especially Rhiannon, who gets absolutely paralytic and passes out in the toilets, having to be rescued by Christine Mulgrew.
In Series 9 Episode 15, Rhiannon is part of Dynasty's group on the resilience camp trip.
In Series 9 Episode 16, Kevin Chalk suffers a stroke in front of multiple students including Rhiannon, who runs out and shouts at Nikki Boston for help.
In Series 9 Episode 17, Barry asks his now-girlfriend Gabriella on a date at a very posh restaurant. Gabriella agrees, but only if he will agree to let Rhiannon come, to Barry's annoyance. Gabriella is scheming, hoping that Rhiannon will ruin the date, and inevitably she does when she loudly gags in the middle of the restaurant after attempting to eat an oyster. Barry is rude about Rhiannon after she leaves, giving Gabriella an excuse to dump him.
In Series 9 Episode 18, Rhiannon is once again involved in an explicit photos plot with Darren when she catches him upskirting her.
Series 10
From Series 10 Episode 1, Rhiannon begins a proper relationship with Darren after he moves into the schoolhouse following the sudden death of his mother.
In Series 10 Episode 3, Rhiannon fears that she might be pregnant, and ends up the most enthiusiatic participant in Allie Westbrook's virtual baby scheme, looking after a plastic baby all day, calling it 'Beyoncé'. When she admits to Darren that she might be pregnant, he reacts badly and they fall out, resulting in a frustrated Rhiannon shaking 'Beyoncé' to 'death', to Allie's shock. Rhiannon later takes a pregnancy test, which comes back negative. Rhiannon is upset, but Maggie Budgen calms her down by suggesting that she seek a career as a nursery nurse.
In Series 10 Episode 4, Gabriella Wark returns and invites Rhiannon to a party at her house. Rhiannon messes around with the other students at the party, pushing Darren into Gabriella's pool multiple times, but everything ends badly after Gabriella slips, hits her head and falls unconscious into the pool.
In Series 10 Episode 7, Rhiannon and Darren meet an old woman named Grace at Waterloo Road's Community Café, and befriend her.
In Series 10 Episode 8, Rhiannon ends up modelling for Gabriella's mother Amelia's fashion catalogue, and considers a career in modelling until she sees how her body is slimmed beyond recognition in the photo editing process, and feels she is being exploited, and leaves the studio.
Over the course of the rest of the first half of Series 10, Darren and Rhiannon help Grace out around her house, such as by cooking for her, and they find out that she was once a keen dancer and many years go had a relationship with a man named Ted. They manage to get in touch with Ted, and reunite him with Grace.
During the second half of Series 10, Darren and Rhiannon have arguments over Rhiannon ogling Dale Jackson while hypocritically reprimanding Darren for ogling Bonnie Kincaid.
Rhiannon is last seen in Series 10 Episode 20 among the students who give speeches to parents and council members talking about how Waterloo Road has helped them, and urging the cancellation of the merger.
Incidents
- When Maggie discovered Rhiannon's bullying of Scout, and reprimanded her, Rhiannon poured an unspecified substance into the soup in the canteen, which caused several people to become quite sick.
- When Sue Spark spitefully insulted her weight after Rhiannon made fun of her original career as a flight attendant, Rhiannon responded wrathfully by locking her in the equipment cupboard.
- She once chucked a bucket of icy water on Lisa Brown
- When she became conscious about her weight, Rhiannon went on a fasting regime and fainted because of it.
- She became critically drunk after Gabriella Wark took her to a bar.
- She had a nervous breakdown when she suspected that she was pregnant.
- She had a series of leaked images of her (which were all taken by Darren Hughes), however, she usually forgives him easily.
- She had an injection of fake tan from Sonya Donnegan, to which she had a bad reaction, causing her to be rushed to A&E.
Trivia
- She lived in the schoolhouse.
- She seems to be desperate for a relationship until Maggie persuades her it doesn't matter.
- There were a lot of continuity errors concerning her age. Her character had been aged at 17 in all three series she appeared in.
Quotes
- "I'm full." (first line)
- "She's nicking anything and selling it for skunk. I seen her."
- "Just cos you can't walk, don't mean you can boss folk about!"
- Scout: "Yeah you do. What? You think this is funny? This is my little brother!"
- Rhiannon: "I see he's got your eyes."
- Madi: "Wow! Not bad...for a fat girl."
- Rhiannon: "Better than you, cupcake!"
- Scout: "She's in prison."
- Rhiannon: "No way! I knew you were a skank, but seriously?"
- Rhiannon: "No. I'm so sorry."
- Maggie: "I've waited since lunchtime to hear you say that."
- Rhiannon: "No, you don't understand. The sick people, it's all my fault."
- Maggie: "Course it's not."
- Rhiannon: "I did it. I put it in the soup, and now people are gonna die cos of me."
- Rhiannon: "I'm so sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I'll try and make it up to you."
- Scout: "Don't you ever come near me or my mates again."
- "I know I'm looking fabulous, but you should be paying attention to her, not me."
- "I don't see why we have to rush, just cos you and the Hoff are going away on a dirty weekend."
- "Killing someone's killing someone, though, innit? Whether they want you to do it or not. I reckon it's bye-bye Byrney."
- Jade: "You just gotta push through the pain barriers, isn't that right, miss?"
- Rhiannon: "I'll remind you of that when that sprog's ready to pop."
- "Does that mean I get my prize? Oh come on, you said! Me and you then, how about it?"
- "I wanna do something worthwhile wi' my life, like Bolton. I know I don't have what it takes to join the army, but I can still make something of myself - I need my education!"
- "I don't believe this, I love working there! And when am I gonna hang out with Naz? You're just jealous cos you're old, aren't you? You'll wish you never stuck your nose in!"
- Maggie: "Yes, I know that, but didn't they get somebody to cover the class? Have you not got something you could be getting on with, reading maybe?"
- Rhiannon: "Nah, miss. We've read everything."
- "Why are none of you doing anything? We all need to be out looking for Kyle!"
- Archie: "She's in the PRU, so she's repeating, like, everything."
- Rhiannon: "Just this science module, actually, Mr Perfect. Plus...maybe I like hanging around with munters!"
- Rhiannon: "Oh, I've got nits in my hair!"
- Barry: "So? Wear 'em with pride, or shave your head. That's what they do inside."
- Rhiannon: "I just wanted him to like me. You know, really like me."
- Sonya: "The people that matter really love you. Just open the door, darling."
- Rhiannon: "Nobody does. Not after this. I wish I were dead." (after her explicit photos were sent around the school)
- "I did it to myself! Nobody made me! Stupid, stupid Rhiannon who thought somebody fancied her! Have you had enough? Wanna see the real thing, do ya?!"
- "Will you two shut up about food? Don't you have any willpower? We never would've won the war with losers like you."
- "That bimbo's my mate, and we look out for each other. What is it with you? You don't like the teachers, and you don't like us? You wanna spend your whole time here alone, well that's your lookout. But there's not enough money in the world to buy friends at Waterloo Road."
- "Miss, miss! Kevin Chalk's collapsed! I think he's dying, you've gotta come now! Quick!"
- "Look, do us a chip butty, and I'll tell you all about Barry's lunch with Gabriella."
- "You've got a great new nickname, Sir. 'Skidsy Windsor'."
- Darren: "So you're saying you might be?"
- Rhiannon: "Pregnant, yeah. And if I am, it's yours."
- "At least I know where I stand, Darren. Nowhere. Stupid Rhiannon, only good for one thing. I'm just a joke to you, aren't I?"
- "Darren's about as edgy as a guinea pig."
- "Oh, come on, soft lad, you know I love you, but just because I'm on a diet, doesn't mean I can't look at the menu."
- Rhiannon: "What's this about you being married then, Miss?"
- Darren: "Married?"
- Rhiannon: "Or do we call you Mrs Hutchinson now?"
- "This place is my home. Always has been, and it always will be." (final line)