Joanne Cardsley is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Rachel Leskovac. The character made her first on-screen appearance on 17 September 2015. Joanne's arrival on-screen was not announced prior to broadcast. It was later reported she had joined the show as a regular cast member. Producer Bryan Kirkwood was glad to cast Leskovac because he admired her previous work. Joanne is introduced as an old friend of Simone Loveday (Jacqueline Boatswain). She is characterised as an intelligent and successful solicitor but has a troubled personal life. Driven by loneliness she concocts schemes and behaves in a manipulative manner.