THEY bring jaw-dropping drama to our TVs each evening, but for these soap stars, the scandals have continued off-screen.
Over the years, famous faces from Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks have landed themselves in hot water and ended up getting the boot.
Soap stars have been fired for a myriad of offenses over the years
Just yesterday, Hollyoaks legend Sarah Jayne Dunn opened up about being “more financially stable” after her unceremonious departure from the show.
From backstage fighting to tweet storms and drug scandals, here is how a string of stars got the axe.
Chris Fountain, Coronation Street
Chris Fountain played Tommy Duckworth in Coronation Street until he was axed when his alter-ego The Phantom was traced back to him
BYE OUT
EastEnders star James Bye reveals soap bosses' major change to Martin for Strictly
Chris Fountain rose to fame playing Justin Burton on Hollyoaks, before switching to Coronation Street to play Jack and Vera’s grandson Tommy Duckworth in 2011.
However, his time on the small screen was cut short after he was unmasked as the mysterious – and controversial – rapper The Phantom.
Producers discovered that he had appeared in numerous videos on YouTube as his alter-ego, rapping about committing acts of extreme violence.
Despite apologising for his actions, he was swiftly axed from the show and his character made an off-screen exit in October 2013.
Fountain spoke this year about his regret for his behaviour and the difficulty he’s experienced in getting roles ever since.
Melissa Suffield, EastEnders
Melissa Suffield played Lucy Beale in EastEnders before being fired for unruly behaviour
Melissa Suffield played Lucy Beale on EastEnders as a youngster from 2004 to 2010.
The child star ran into trouble after being photographed partying at a London club while underage.
The 17-year-old actress was reportedly given three warnings from BBC bosses, but was caught out again and eventually fired for unruly behaviour.
She slated producers at the time on her personal website, writing: “I was a naughty girl outside of work, well that’s what they sacked me for, pathetic!”
Ian Beale’s daughter returned in 2012, but with Hettie Bywater playing the character.
Earlier this year, Melissa hit back at trolls who branded her body “disgusting”, as she stripped down to her underwear.
Asan N’Jie, Emmerdale
Asan N’Jie was a rising star on Emmerdale until an altercation at the TV Choice Awards
Asan N’Jie was a rising star on Emmerdale, playing Ellis Chapman, the son of Jessie Dingle and Al Chapman, before it all went wrong.
He was given the boot in 2019 just a year after his debut episode, after he was videoed rowing with and allegedly attempting to attack Hollyoaks actor Jamie Lomas backstage at the TV Choice Awards, in which he was nominated for Best Newcomer.
In the video, he reportedly threatened to “knife” Jamie and told him: “Do you think you’re a f***ing big man? I’m going to f***ing kill you.”
After the video went viral, he was immediately suspended and then sacked after an investigation into the incident.
The role of Ellis was later recast with Aaron Anthony at the helm, who departed this year.
N’Gie released a statement apologising to Emmerdale, ITV, Lomas, the audience and the TV Choice Awards.
Sarah Jane Dunn, Hollyoaks
Sarah Jayne Dunn left Hollyoaks in 2021 after a 25-year stretch on the show
Mandy Richardson actress Sarah Jayne Dunn starred in Hollyoaks on and off for a whopping 25 years from 1996 to 2021.
She was ultimately dropped from the cast, however, when she set up an OnlyFans account and refused to take it down.
Hollyoaks bosses reportedly called her in for a meeting about her joining the X-rated subscription site and were unable to reach a resolution with her.
A spokesperson said in a statement: “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.”
Marc Anwar, Coronation Street
Marc Anwar played Sharif Nazir in Coronation Street for two years before he was removed for offensive tweets in 2016
Marc Anwar arrived in Wethersfield as Sharif Nazir in 2014, the father of the late Kal Nazir and husband of Yasmeen.
His time on the show swiftly came to an end in 2016 after he published a series of later-deleted tweets with racially offensive comments about Indian people amid unrest in Kashmir.
Anwar, who has Pakistani heritage, posted an apology video in which he told fans: “I would like to offer my sincerest apologies to anyone that I may have offended with my tweets on Friday evening and especially people from India.
“This was never my intention and the language was unacceptable. I feel that I have let a lot of people down, my family, my friends and my former colleagues.”
The actor was too late to save his job however, and the video has since been deleted.
His character hastily moved to Newcastle and has not been back since.
Luke Tittensor, Emmerdale
Luke Tittensor’s Daz Eden was written out of Emmerdale after the actor pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm
Luke Tittensor, who played Daz Eden on Emmerdale from 2003 to 2009, turned out to be a bit of a bad boy himself.
Fans were shocked when he was found guilty of grievous bodily harm aged 19 after he left a 16-year-old with a fractured jaw that required surgery with screws and a metal plate inserted to repair the damage.
He was sentenced to community service and had to pay £1,000 compensation, also losing his job on the soap.
An Emmerdale spokesperson said: “As Luke has pleaded guilty to the serious charge of GBH and we cannot condone criminal behaviour, we have met with Luke and his agent to explain his contract with Emmerdale will be terminated.
“Luke regrets his behaviour and understands the situation.”
Ricky Norwood, EastEnders
Ricky Norwood played Fatboy in EastEnders from 2010 until 2014, when he was caught allegedly smoking cannabis
Ricky Norwood arrived on Albert Square in 2010 as Arthur ‘Fatboy’ Chubb’ and quickly became one of the most popular characters.
His world came crashing down four years later, however, when he was caught on camera allegedly smoking cannabis and performing a sex act.
Norton was suspended and a year later it was announced he was leaving the show for good.
Stephanie Davis, Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks star Stephanie Davis was fired from her role as Sinead O’Connor for turning up on set ‘unfit for work’
Stephanie Davis joined the cast of Hollyoaks in 2010 as Sinead O’Connor after winning the BBC’s talent contest Over the Rainbow.
However, her hard work went down the drain in 2015 when she turned up late to set after a series of boozy nights.
According to reports, there were 20 incidents that led to her contract being terminated, with her agent confirming she lost her job for arriving on set “unfit for work”.
After three years away, Davis reprised her role in 2018 and played Sinead for another two years.
Mark Jordan, Emmerdale
Mark Jordan as Daz Spencer in Emmerdale before his exit in 2019
Mark Jordan played Emmerdale’s Daz Spencer from 2014 to 2019, but was forced off the telly after being arrested on suspicion of biting and threatening a pensioner at a pub garden.
He was eventually found not guilty of affray, unlawful wounding and assault by biting, and reportedly spent thousands to clear his name.
Shila Iqbal, Emmerdale
Aiesha Richards in Emmerdale played by Shila Iqbal, whose appearance was short-lived after offensive tweets resurfaced
Shortly after joining the cast in the Dales as Alesha Richards in 2019, Shila Iqbal was cut after homophobic and racist tweets from 2012 resurfaced online.
A spokesperson explained that she had been axed for “historic tweets”, which Iqbal issued a heartfelt apology for.
However, the actress later appeared on This Morning and questioned whether she should be fired for something she did as a teenager, saying: “You should be judged on the person you are today.”
Did you miss our previous article...
https://thecelebreport.com/television/bargain-hunt-expert-wideeyed-as-contestant-strangles-him-after-disastrous-loss
