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Sarah Jayne Dunn exits 'Hollyoaks' over decision to stay on OnlyFans

EDITORIAL USE ONLY Sarah Jayne Dunn attends the re-launch of the Midland, a Leonardo Royal Hotel, in Manchester following a �14m refurbishment project. Picture date: Thursday October 14, 2021.
Sarah Jayne Dunn has left 'Hollyoaks'. (PA)

Sarah Jayne Dunn has exited Hollyoaks over her decision to join OnlyFans.

The star – who is best known for playing Mandy Richardson in the Channel 4 soap – joined the adults-only platform last month, saying it was “about empowerment and confidence and having full power over my choices”.

Writing on Instagram at the time, the 40-year-old said she had done plenty of men’s magazine shoots over the years but didn’t feel like she’d had much of a say in them and that it was “cathartic” to take back control.

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However, the move apparently put her at odds with Hollyoaks bosses, and it has now been confirmed that she has left the soap.

A spokesperson for the show told Yahoo: “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.

“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.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - 2021/10/09: Sarah Jayne Dunn at Proud Embankment's Cabaret All Stars. (Photo by Brett Cove/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The actor first joined the soap in 1996. (Brett Cove/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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

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Dunn was cast as Hollyoaks’ Mandy in 1996 and has played the character on and off in several stints on the soap since then.

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