Sarah Jayne Dunn OnlyFans: why Hollyoaks star is leaving the show - and what will happen to Mandy Richardson?

The actress first announced in October that she would be posting content on the 18+ platform
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It has been announced that actress Sarah Jayne Dunn, who has starred in Hollyoaks on and off since 1996, will no longer be appearing on the soap.

The news come after Dunn revealed that she would be posting on 18+ site OnlyFans.

This is everything you need to know.

Why is Sarah Jayne Dunn leaving Hollyoaks?

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It has been confirmed that the actress will be leaving the long running soap due to disputes over her involvement with OnlyFans, a subscription website mostly used by sex workers to post nude images and videos.

In October, Dunn announced in a lengthy Instagram post that she would be joining the platform.

She wrote: “This is a decision I’ve thought long and hard about, not one I’ve taken lightly or on a whim, it’s about taking back control, about empowerment and confidence and having full power over my choices.”

She goes on to say that she has “never felt in control” in terms of the photoshoots she has been involved in, and that the older she gets, the “more cathartic it is to take back control, to put healthy boundaries in place and to know my worth and my value”.

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Dunn added that she knows that she will “undoubtedly be judged”, but says that “it’s nothing [she hasn’t] heard before, unfortunately they’ll always be haters and people that want a reason to knock you down”.

She ends the post by writing that she won’t let anyone bring her down, and this decision is “about rising about and owning it”.

What did Hollyoaks bosses say?

When Dunn first announced that she would be joining OnlyFans in October, Hollyoaks bosses reportedly held discussions with the actress in a bid to get her to quit the platform.

However, with no agreement reached, it has been confirmed that Dunn will be leaving Hollyoaks.

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A statement from Hollyoaks said: “Hollyoaks is a youth-facing drama with many young viewers, who follow our cast very closely, both in the soap and outside of it.

“We take our responsibility to our young audience very seriously and therefore the show does not allow any Hollyoaks cast members to be active on certain 18+ websites.

The actress announced in October that she would be posting content on OnlyFans (Photo: Shutterstock)The actress announced in October that she would be posting content on OnlyFans (Photo: Shutterstock)
The actress announced in October that she would be posting content on OnlyFans (Photo: Shutterstock)

“We had hoped we could reach a resolution with Sarah that would allow her to remain in her role as Mandy, but we respect her choice to continue to produce content on OnlyFans.

“In the past four years since her return to the show, her legacy character has been an integral part of some of our most important storylines and we will be very sad to see her go.”

What will happen to her Hollyoaks character?

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Dunn, who plays the character of Mandy Richardson, first made her Hollyoaks debut in 1996 and left as a cast regular in 2006.

She returned to the soap a number of times over the years, including a two episode stint in 2007, a six month return in 2008 and a one year contract in 2010.

Sarah Jayne Dunn attends the National Television Awards 2020 at The O2 Arena (Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)Sarah Jayne Dunn attends the National Television Awards 2020 at The O2 Arena (Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Sarah Jayne Dunn attends the National Television Awards 2020 at The O2 Arena (Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Dunn returned as a main cast member in 2017 when it was announced that she would reprise her role as Mandy.

There has been no announcement as to how Mandy will be written out of the show.

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