Michaela decides to track down her father, Ricky Bowen (Simon Cassidy). When they meet, Ricky apologises to Michaela for not trying harder to be involved in her life, claiming Michaela's mother Myra stopped him from seeing Michaela and her siblings John Paul (James Sutton) and Carmel (Gemma Merna). Michaela takes Ricky back to the McQueens' home, where her family do not trust him. During Christmas, Ricky steals the family's presents and leaves, leaving Michaela heartbroken. After this, Michaela begins dating her friend Sasha Valentine's (Nathalie Emmanuel) brother, Sonny (Devon Anderson). Michaela and Sonny plan to sleep together, but are interrupted by Sonny's older brother, Calvin Valentine (Ricky Whittle). The relationship ends when Michaela discovers Sonny had told people he had been sleeping with Michaela's older sister Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe). However, they later get back together, and are arrested for shoplifting on Michaela's sixteenth birthday. Michaela is cautioned by Calvin. Sonny and Michaela eventually sleep together, but he soon moves away from Hollyoaks, which left her devastated, but more bad news for her, as she discover that her older brother John-Paul was gay, and didn't accepted him first, but later she did.