Following her departure, her co-stars commented favourably on the actress and character, with Jorgie Porter deeming her an "ultimate original", Gemma Merna stating that she "was "Hollyoaks"", and Ricky Whittle admitting that he cried during the airing of her final scenes. Television and entertainment website "Holy Soap" did not see Steph's fire death coming, calling her actions brave and her ten-year duration "mammoth". They described her most memorable moment as telling Niall she did not love him and then watching him commit suicide. "Inside Soap" said if there was an award for "the unluckiest character in soap", Steph would certainly win. In his column for "The Guardian", television critic Jim Shelley stated that it was time for Steph to go, having "suffered enough" during her tenure. Humorously recapping her ten years in "Hollyoaks", Shelley wrote: