2016 was a pretty explosive year for the cast of Hollyoaks, what with the return of Amy Barnes and Joe Dexter, and the manhunt (or should we say woman-hunt) for who killed Patrick Blake. Not to mention all the drama within the walls of Hollyoaks High. For a moment lets forget about the present-day drama and have a look back at some of the best-loved characters, and what they are up to nowadays!
#1. Hannah Ashworth, Emma Rigby
Hannah appeared on our screens back in 2005 as a chubby-cheeked young girl. But this didn’t last long, and she was best known for her wonderfully portraying a dark anorexia and bulimia storyline, which tragically resulted in her death.
Since leaving Hollyoaks in 2010, Rigby has had a host of television and film appearances. She was cast as the lead role, Red Queen, in the U.S. series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, as well as playing the female lead in the British crime film Plastic. Most recently she’s starred in the festive movie, A Cinderella Christmas.
#2. Stephanie Cunningham, Carley Stenson
Stephanie was a member of the cast for over 10 years, leading her to be described as “Hollyoaks royalty”. She was involved in a number of high-profile storylines, such as becoming a widow, her involvement in Niall’s revenge plot and finally, her tear-jerking portrayal of cervical cancer, Her exit from the show was equally as shocking, as she stood in a burning building refusing to leave.
Stenson left the show to pursue a career in musical theatre, and she had done just that. She has made West End appearances as Princess Fiona in Shrek, Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and as The Lady of The Lake in Spamalot. Most recently she played the lead role in the UK tour of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
#3. Mandy Richardson, Sarah Jayne Dunn
Just like many of the other characters, Mandy’s time on the show was far from easy. She dealt with her father sexually abusing her as a child, as well as the suicide of her brother Lewis. Mandy made her final appearance in 2011, with the explanation for her absence left in a note to Tony.
After leaving the show she had minor roles in BBC shows, including The Real Hustle and a stint on Casualty, playing international charity worker, Taylor, and love interest for Caleb Knight. The 34-year-old recently welcomed her very first child into the world, with boyfriend Jonathan Smith..
#4. Sol Patrick, Paul Danan
Sol arrived in Hollyoaks with his mother Jill, although later found out that she was not actually his biological mum. He crashed a stolen car, almost killing Jill, and ended up spending time in a Young Offenders Institute. He last appeared in 2001 when he fled Hollyoaks with the prostitute he had saved from a PIMP.
Back in 2005, Paul was one of the contestants on the first series of Love Island. Danan has also co-hosted a brand new show, Stars and Strikes for 4music. Most recently, Danan played the character Steve in the Sky series, Good Girls Club.
#5. Luke Morgan, Gary Lucy
Luke was introduced to the show alongside the rest of the Morgan family. During his time on Hollyoaks, he was involved in a controversial male rape storyline, which was the very first time it had been tackled in a British soap. Luke left the show in 2002 when he left for Canada.
After his role on the soap, Lucy appeared in three series of Footballers’ Wives before portraying DC Fletcher in The Bill. In 2012 Gary returned to the world of soaps, this time as Danny Pennant in EastEnders, leaving the show in 2014. Most recently he’s appeared as a patient in Casualty.
#6. Malachy Fisher, Glen Wallace
Malachy first appeared in 2007, becoming a permanent character in 2008. He was involved in the shocking HIV plot, as well as his on-and-off relationship with Mercedes. He was killed off in 2010 after a tragic explosion from a restaurant left him comatose.
After leaving the show he made several appearances in Holby City, playing David Kilburn, the husband of Jess Griffin. As well as this he played the murder victim, Trevor Buchanan, in the ITV series The Secret. Most recently he is playing the role of Greg Roth, in the Scottish drama Rivercity.
#7. Lisa Hunter, Gemma Atkinson
Lisa was introduced to the cast back in 2011 and dealt with hard-hitting storylines like being bullied at school and resorting to self-harm. She left the main soap in 2006 but made several spin-off appearances in Hollyoaks: Let Loose and Hollyoaks: In the City.
Gemma is now probably best known for her role as Carly Hope in Emmerdale. Although she also had a relatively long stint as part of the cast of Casualty, playing Tamzin Bayle. Alongside her acting, she is an advocate for a healthy lifestyle and regularly posts about her weightlifting and fitness regime online.
#8. Jamie Nash, Stefan Booth
Jamie arrived as one of the new students at Hollyoaks Community College. He was a jack-the-lad with a cheeky charm and ended up in an on-and-off relationship with Becca. The pair finally reconciled but then tragedy struck on a potholing trip with his mates, and Jamie died in hospital from his injuries in 2002.
Booth joined another soap, EastEnders, in 2010 as the fiancé of Tanya Branning, but was axed a year later. Stefan also made several musical theatre appearances as both Prince Stefan in Snow White and playing Billy Flynn in Chicago: The Musical.
#9. Debbie Dean, Jodi Albert
Debbie first joined Hollyoaks in 2002 with the rest of the Dean family. During her time on the show, she dealt with gripping storylines such as her boyfriend Dan, getting arrested after being suspected of murder. She decided to leave the show in 2004, before briefly returning a couple of years later.
After leaving Hollyoaks, Albert appeared in the reality television series California Dreaming, in a bid to make it big in Hollywood. However, she didn’t quite make the cut. Although just a couple of years later she became part of the Irish girl group Wonderland, who were managed by Louis Walsh. Although the band were dropped from the label in 2011 and decided to split up shortly after.
#10. Izzy Davies, Elize Du Toit
Elize du Toit was cast in the Hollyoaks: On the Pull campaign, which attempted to find new young actors to appear in the show. During her time on the show she suffered a tragic loss when she lost her baby at two months, and then was told she wouldn’t be able to have children! For over three years, Izzy was a main character of the show. but she eventually moved on in 2004, only making a brief appearance in 2007.
Elize has had a successful acting career to date, starring in episodes of M.I High, Waterloo Road, Waking The Dead and venturing into another soap, Coronation Street. Most recently she appeared in the James Bond film, Skyfall as Vanessa, M’s Assistant.
#11. Lewis Richardson, Ben Hull
Lewis was one of the original cast members making his first on-screen appearance in 1995. He started off as a “good bloke” but as time went on he started to become like his abusive, alcoholic father. Upon realisation of this Lewis decides to commit suicide, in a shock and gory exit from the show.
Shortly after leaving the show, Hull starred in another of Channel 4’s soaps, Brookside, playing Dr Gary Parr. In 2006, Hull joined yet another soap, this time Doctors, playing John Myson. Currently, Hull plays Derwood Thompson in Holby City, having been in the role since 2012. Aside from acting, Hull’s work as a Presenter includes Film24, Bid, Angela and Friends, Gala TV, the competitions for This Morning
#12. Dan Hunter, Andrew McNair
Dan was the first Hunter to arrive in Hollyoaks, taking a liking to Debbie Dean the moment he saw her. The two were very much in love but were torn apart. It looked like things were looking up for the pair, but then tragedy struck. Whilst on the way to see Debbie Dan’s rally car exploded, instantly killing him.
McNair is probably best known for his work on Hollyoaks but also appeared in a number of small roles, including series such as Casualty, Dream Team and Doctors among others. In 2009, Andy started playing Thomas Seymour in historical series, The Tudors.
#13. Gina Patrick, Dannielle Brent
Gina debuted on-screen in 1997, initially as a recurring character, though she was later promoted to the regular cast. Gina was a bit of a tree-hugger and a definite tomboy. The character is best known for her lesbian relationship with Emily Taylor. She left the show in 2001 to work at a Chinese orphanage.
Apart from being on Hollyoaks, Danielle is probably best known for playing prisoner Natalie Buxton, in Bad Girls from Series 6 until Series 8. Aside from this, she also had several one-off roles in medical drama, Casualty.
#14. Brian Drake, Jonathan Le Billon
Brian was a relatively minor character, appearing on the show from 2001 until 2003. Brian was a very religious goth who dated Zara Morgan. However, it didn’t last long when he cheated on her with Steph Dean at a party at Tony house party. Brian started to stalk Lisa with threatening text messages, and when he was found out he left the village, never to be seen again!
In 2010 Jonathan moved to the US to take roles in two film projects, Casting Shadows, and the feature film Bright in the Dark. He appeared in the feature film, The Apostle Pete, opposite Oscar-nominated actor Robert Loggia. Le Billon has also had a successful theatre career, appearing in stage productions of The Chronicles of Narnia and as ‘The Engineer’ in Miss Saigon. He was also cast for the title role in the theatre production of The Gingerbread Man.
#15. Maddie Parker, Yasmin Bannerman
Maddie was another of the original Hollyoaks cast, although she had a relatively short stint on the show from 1995 until 1997. She is best described as “the streetwise and sassy siren who ran Parker’s restaurant”. She has a rocky relationship with Michael, who she later discovered was mentally ill after he became completely obsessed with her. After his death she struggled to cope, so thought it would be best to leave the village.
After leaving the show she had a recurring role in the third series of Cold Feet as Jessica Barnes. She also had minor roles in Doctor Who (as shown above) and in Torchwood and Life on Mars.
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