beth first appears when she is run over by rhys ashworth whilst they are both on their way to purchase tickets to see a band. beth is not injured, but discovers rhys has bought the last tickets for himself. rhys gives beth a ticket, which belonged to his friend gilly roach. the pair swap numbers and begin to date. they quickly fall for each other. rhys's family does not believe him when he tells them he has found a girlfriend. however, beth begins to avoid rhys. unknown to rhys, this is because her father has died. rhys's father noel ashworth dies and rhys attends the wake. noel's brother neville then introduces rhys to noel's daughter, beth. rhys and beth avoid each other, and rhys is angry, believing beth had known all along that they were half siblings. he then tells her that he never wants to see her again. however, beth soon begins at hollyoaks community college, despite applying for a transfer. beth befriends fellow students, zoe carpenter and kris fisher, giving her a reason to stay in the village. slowly, rhys and beth resolve their differences as beth moves in with the ashworths. the family throw her a birthday party to make her feel welcome. she becomes friends with her cousin hannah ashworth and they go on a double date with gilly and danny valentine. beth and gilly eventually kiss and become a couple, which makes rhys jealous. after months of hiding their feelings, rhys and beth give in. however, they both try to forget about it the next day. gilly then takes beth on a trip to thailand. before they leave, beth and rhys admit their love for each other, despite knowing it is illegal.