Hollyoaks star Sophie Porley quits acting after suffering panic attack following huge cast cull
Hollyoaks announced a huge cast cull in February 2024 and has since seen over 20 actors quit.
Actress Sophie Porley has revealed she has quit acting for good following a terrifying panic attack. The actress, 31, was best known for playing Ellie Nightingale in the Channel 4 soap. Ellie left Hollyoaks with Holly Cuningham in 2018 after the two set off for a new life in Paris.
Since leaving the soap Sophie has become a social media influencer with over 160,000 followers on Instagram. The former Hollyoaks star explained she had a traumatic experience when auditioning for a new role. Speaking on The Muse Podcast Sophie said: “I hadn't intended to transition to social media stuff when I came off Hollyoaks. My intention was to continue acting.
“I don't know if I've really spoken about this, but I'm not really acting anymore. Because I had a few auditions when I finished Hollyoaks and I think I put so much pressure on myself to go from that to another acting job I felt real pressure.
“My agency sent me an audition and there was pages and pages of dialogue to learn. I went into my agency to record the audition, and I put so much pressure on myself I walked out of their building and had a panic attack.
“I was in the train station and I literally had to sit on the floor. I couldn't breathe.At that moment, I was like, 'I'm really putting too much pressure on myself to get another acting job,' so I took a step back.”
Podcast host Chloe Lloyd asked Sophie if she would ever go back to acting in Hollyoaks to which she replied “Never say never, but I don't have any plans to. It's not something on my radar.”
Hollyoaks streams first online via Channel 4 weekdays from 7.30pm. Episodes then air on E4 the following day and then premiering on YouTube a week after.
Natalie Dixon is NationalWorld’s Lifestyle reporter. If you liked this article and want to read more about soaps, celebrities and lifestyle you can follow Natalie Dixon on X here.