Yahoo News 8 times soap stars regretted going on reality TV
When soap stars venture into the world of reality TV, they often get way more than they bargain for. Forced to rub shoulders with other celebs in unusual situations, things can quickly turn into a scene from one of their soaps, with all the barneys, bitching and backstabbing.
Others might manage to keep out of the arguments, but realise the experience isn't all it's cracked up to be, and then there are the times when a soapie makes a complete spectacle of themselves on national television and regrets ever signing up for the show.
We're going to take a trip down memory lane and reflect on eight soap actors whose experience on reality TV probably didn't quite go according to plan...
1. Jorgie Porter (Dancing on Ice)
For their big last All Stars series, the DOI producers paired former runner-up Jorgie with French skater Sylvain Longchambon, knowing full well it would get everyone talking. The whole thing was proper awks because Sylv had dumped Jorgie's bessie mate and Hollyoaks co-star Jennifer Metcalfe the year before, to start up a relationship with Coronation Street's Samia Ghadie (as she was known then).
Jorgie and Sylvain's forced "let's make the best of a bad situation" grins spoke volumes, and the viewers were clearly turned off by the stunt too. Despite delivering a strong routine on the ice, the pair found themselves voted off the show in week one.
Stunned Jorgie couldn't hold back the tears, and her early exit was made even more painful as she'd quit 'Oaks weeks earlier hoping she'd go far in the competition. Awkward.
2. Lucy Pargeter (I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!)
The energetic Emmerdale star threw herself right into jungle life in the 2013 series of I'm a Celebrity – storming Bushtucker Trials and becoming a proper team player in camp. But then negative headlines started appearing over her treatment of beauty queen Amy Willerton, with some fans claiming straight-talking Luce was attacking her fellow campmate because of her modelling career.
Amy's tendency to sleep all day didn't go unnoticed by Lucy either, and after one particularly heated discussion over her perceived laziness, Amy was left in tears. Lucy ended up finishing in third place, but was horrified she'd been labelled a 'bitch' on Twitter.
3. Stephanie Davis (Celebrity Big Brother)
The explosive January 2016 series of CBB is memorable for so many reasons, but mainly for the relationship between Stephanie Davis and a certain Irish tattooed hunk. The former Hollyoaks star was already dating model Sam Reece when she went into the house, but within a matter of days she'd fallen hard for new roomie Jeremy McConnell.
Viewers were gripped as the pair went from flirting to madly in love to full-on toxic mess during their stay, and Steph was left a blubbering wreck when Jez was evicted before her. Reunited on the outside, there was a series of turbulent break-ups and make-ups, until the couple split for good.
Shortly afterwards, Steph discovered she was expecting Jeremy's baby, and despite all the stress that followed, she's now proud mum to Caben-Albi.
4. Dean Gaffney (I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!)
Ex-EastEnder Dean was more wuss than well 'ard (get it?) when he took part in the 2006 series of I'm a Celeb. Who will ever forget how he screamed and squawked his way through his trip to the Bush Spa, as he had to rummage through hundreds of stinking cockroaches and biting ants to find winning stars for his campmates' supper?
The trial was broadcast live too, so we got to savour every cringeworthy second of the star's agony.
Unfortunately for Dean, his Oscar-worthy performance didn't have Hollywood knocking down his door with offers of juicy acting roles, and he returned to the square as Robbie Jackson in 2017. He just earned himself a bit of an embarrassing reputation for being a bit of a wimp.
5. John Partridge (Celebrity Big Brother)
When he entered the CBB house, the former 'Enders actor was very open about the fact that he was doing it to raise funds to help care for his sick mother. But John completely underestimated just how stressful being locked up for a month with so many volatile characters could be.
Tensions flared on a daily basis, and John got dragged into loads of the dramas. His acerbic put-downs and rows with Tiffany Pollard got fans' backs up, and he was branded a bully on social media.
The musical theatre muscleman tried to pretend he wasn't bothered when he left the house to choruses of boos from the angry crowd, but he later admitted the whole experience had left him suffering from serious anxiety for months afterwards.
6. Helen Flanagan (I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!)
Back in 2012, naive Helen signed up to I'm a Celeb thinking she'd get to prance around in a bikini and make friends. Little did she know she'd have to take part in seven Bushtucker Trials and face some of her biggest fears in the process (which doesn't mean much when you're freaked out by pretty much anything).
Helen's scaredy-cat carry-on was both annoying and hilarious, but her campmates struggled to laugh as they were forced to go hungry when she bottled some of her trials. Despite often claiming she wanted to go home, Hels actually managed to stick it out a respectable 17 days in the Australian jungle, but we're pretty sure it's an experience she'll never ever want to repeat.
7. Ken Morley (Celebrity Big Brother)
Ken might have played comedy character Reg Holdsworth on Corrie, but there was nothing amusing about his short-lived stint on CBB back in 2015. He offended all his fellow housemates with his chauvinistic sexist slurs, and seemed to have no shame in insulting whoever he pleased.
After being given a formal warning from Big Brother for calling American singer Alexander O'Neal a racially offensive term, Ken was already on dodgy ground. But another derogatory comment, this time about former boxer Frank Bruno, sealed his fate and the producers sent him packing after receiving hundreds of complaints via Ofcom. Pretty much career suicide.
8. Ryan Moloney (Celebrity Big Brother)
Poor old Ryan, he didn't really do anything wrong during his time on CBB in 2013, it was just painfully obvious he wasn't having a great time – who would, having to live with Speidi 24/7?!
The Neighbours star admitted that he struggled to be himself in the house, knowing the cameras were on him all the time and wasn't happy with the fact the producers had the power to edit any footage as they saw fit. Popular Ryan finished in a very respectable third place, and despite revealing he didn't enjoy his first stay in the fishbowl, he recently confessed he hasn't fully ruled out a surprise return in a future series...
Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Twitter account and you're all set.
You Might Also Like
