Star to leave Hollyoaks after OnlyFans account launch as soap says it has ‘many young viewers’
Hollyoaks bosses have confirmed that star Sarah Jayne Dunn is leaving the soap following a disagreement over her decision to join adult subscription site OnlyFans.
A spokesperson for the Channel 4 soap said they respected Dunn’s choice but that as a series with young viewers they had to consider the audience.
Dunn, 40, rose to fame playing Mandy Richardson, starring in her first episode in 1996 following Hollyoaks‘ launch the previous year. She continued in the role for five years until 2011, returning to the show in 2017.
The actress has not commented on leaving the soap but posted a message on social media on Thursday, simply saying: “Thank you for your support.”
OnlyFans is an online adult subscription service where those who post content earn money from users who sign up to see it. Creators receive 80% commission on their earnings, while the London-based firm gets 20%.
Hollyoaks said in a statement sent to Sky News that it takes its responsibility to its young audience “very seriously”.
It said: “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 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.
“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.”
Some fans on Twitter have criticised the soap, pointing out that it used to release “Hollyoaks Babes” and “Hunks” calendars.
Hollyoaks launched in 1995 and Dunn first joined the cast the following year. Pic: Channel 4/ Lime Pictures
Dunn said in an Instagram post in October that she said she had enjoyed photo shoots as an actress and model but had never really felt in control.
“This is a decision I’ve thought long and hard about, not one I’ve taken lightly or on a whim, it’s about taking back control, about empowerment and confidence and having full power over my choices,” she said.
“I’ll undoubtedly be judged, some might find it shocking, but I’m simply moving my sexier, racier images to another platform.”
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She went on to say that “most likely a few trolls will crawl out from under their rocks… unfortunately they’ll always be haters and people that want a reason to knock you down, I won’t let them, this is about rising above and owning it”.
OnlyFans was founded in 2016 by British entrepreneur Tim Stokely and has boomed in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its official website says the platform has “1,500,000+ content creators” and it has paid out at least £3.7bn “annually to creators”.
Earlier this year, it sparked a backlash when it announced a new policy banning users from posting “sexually explicit” material. However, the platform later U-turned on the decision.
Sky News has contacted representatives for Dunn for comment.
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Om Fahad: Iraqi social media influencer shot dead by gunman on motorbike who posed as food delivery rider – report
A well-known Iraqi social media influencer has reportedly been shot dead in her car by a gunman on a motorbike.
Om Fahad, whose real name is Ghufran Sawadi, was killed outside her home in Baghdad’s Zayouna district on Friday, according to the AFP news agency, citing security officials.
It appears the unidentified attacker pretended to be delivering food to the victim, one security source said.
Om Fahad, who has nearly half a million TikTok followers, became famous for posting light-hearted videos where she dances to Iraqi music.
Six days ago, she shared footage of herself driving in a car and also posing in front of a mirror. They have each been watched hundreds of thousands of times.
The influencer was sentenced to six months in prison in February last year for sharing videos that a court ruled contained “indecent speech that undermines modesty and public morality”.
A campaign was launched in 2023 by the Iraqi government to clamp down on social media content which broke the country’s “morals and traditions”.
The interior ministry set up a committee to look for “offensive” clips on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, with several influencers being arrested.
“This type of content is no less dangerous than organised crime,” the ministry declared in a promotional video which asked the public to help by reporting such content.
“It is one of the causes of the destruction of the Iraqi family and society.”
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Speaking last year, interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan argued the morality campaign has “nothing to do with freedom of expression”.
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In 2018, gunmen in Baghdad shot dead Tara Fares, who was a model and influencer.
After years of war and sectarian conflict following the 2003 US invasion that overthrew dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq has returned to some semblance of normality despite sporadic violence, political instability and corruption.
But civil liberties, particularly among women and sexual minorities, are still constrained in a conservative and male-dominated society.
R Kelly’s challenge against a 20-year sentence for child sex convictions has been quashed by an appeals court.
The singer was correctly sentenced to 20 years in prison, a Chicago court ruled on Friday.
He was convicted in 2022 on three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticement of minors for sex.
In his appeal, Kelly, 57, argued Illinois’ old statute of limitations – which required prosecution of child sex crime charges within 10 years – should have applied, rather than the current law permitting charges while an accuser is still alive.
The appeals court rejected this, labelling it an attempt by Kelly to elude the charges entirely after “employing a complex scheme to keep victims quiet”.
He also argued that charges involving one accuser should have been tried separately from the charges tied to three other accusers due to video evidence that became a focal point of the Chicago trial.
Prosecutors have said the video showed Kelly abusing a girl. The accuser, only identified as Jane, testified for the first time that she was 14 when the video was taken.
The three-judge panel from the appeals court noted jurors acquitted Kelly on seven of the 13 counts against him “even after viewing those abhorrent tapes”.
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In a written statement, Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean said they plan to seek a US Supreme Court review of the decision and “pursue all of his appellate remedies until we free R Kelly”.
“We are disappointed in the ruling, but our fight is far from over,” she said.
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