Soapworld
Emma Rigby quits Hollyoaks
Hannah Ashworth star is set to leave the show – just weeks after making a high-profile comeback.
Hollyoaks star Emma Rigby is leaving her role as Hannah Ashworth in the soap.
The actress, who originally played Hannah from 2005 to 2010, made a big return to the soap in January, but started appearing regularly on screen only from April.
However, according to The Sun, she’s going to leave the soap again later this year.
In her first stint, the character struggled with an eating disorder and a doomed romance with John-Paul McQueen, oblivious to his seuxality. Since her return, viewers have seen her working as an escort in a bid to scam men out of their money.
The Sun claims that Rigby is quitting the soap because of behind-the-scenes changes.
“It just wasn’t working out for Emma. She agreed a long-term return with certain expectations but that all changed. She’s a professional through and through but the changes were too much so she decided to walk away,” a source told the paper.
A spokesperson for the soap has declined to comment.
In February, Channel 4 announced plans to reduce the number of Hollyoaks episodes from five to three per week, leading to significant job losses on and off camera. The new thrice-weekly transmission pattern will come into effect in September and the show will jump ahead one year in the plots as part of the relaunch.
