Sarah Jayne Dunn feels “free” since Hollyoaks exit

The actress quit Hollyoaks last year after show bosses objected to her decision to join OnlyFans.

Speaking on Instagram, Dunn responded to a fan who asked her how she felt about no longer working on the show.

“Free,” she replied.

Dunn clarified to another of her followers that “leaving the show was never my intention of my choice,” but she went on to note that “I believe in everything for a reason and I’m much happier now.”

She then teased that she would “miss *most* of the cast”.

In November 2021, Hollyoaks announced that Dunn would be leaving her long-running role as Mandy Richardson in the soap after joining OnlyFans. The 40-year-old star had begun sharing suggestive snaps on the adult site in a bid to “take back control” of her public image.

“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,” Hollyoaks said in a statement.

“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.”

Fans have been quick to defend the actress noting that Hollyoaks has been the ‘tit and bum’ soap since its launch with the cast seen often wandering around in just their tight undies.

One of Hollyoaks’ longest-running characters, Mandy appeared for the first time in 1996. She has been at the centre of a number of hard-hitting storylines over the years including coming to terms with childhood sexual abuse; her brother, Lewis taking his own life; and the loss of her daughter Grace to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.