Ex-Hollyoaks star Sarah Jayne Dunn makes shock career U-turn despite raking in £2.8m on OnlyFans after brutal soap axing

SARAH Jayne Dunn was once one of Hollyoaks’ biggest stars, with millions of viewers tuning in to watch her every week before she was sensationally ‘axed’ five years ago. She went on to make an absolute fortune on OnlyFans, but despite that, now, in an exclusive interview with The Sun, Sarah opens up about her plans to return to the mainstream spotlight – as well as her surprising new side hustles. The ex Hollyoaks star revealed she is making a bombshell return to acting Credit: Instagram/@sarahjaynedunn Sarah was axed from the Channel 4 soap in November 2021 after refusing to shut down her OnlyFans account Credit: Getty The ex-Hollyoaks beauty is making a bombshell return to acting, five years after being booted off the soap for joining OnlyFans. Sarah, 44, says she’s ready to return to the spotlight and would love to be the next Hannah Waddingham. In an exclusive interview, the former FHM model told The Sun: “I’ve got a new acting agent, so I’m dipping my toe back into acting. I’ve had auditions, which has been really lovely. “It’s been very different, because it’s all self-tape now. I think the last time I auditioned was at least 10 years ago, but post-COVID, everything’s changed. “You don’t have to jump on a train to London, you don’t have to be in the room to audition. I sort of miss that. I like being in a room as I like having direction and I like meeting people.” Sarah played the role of Mandy Richardson in the hit Channel 4 soap from 1996 to 2021. But her time on the soap ended almost as dramatically as one of the show’s storylines. The actress was given her marching orders after joining the subscription site OnlyFans, posing for lingerie and bikini pictures behind a paywall. Bosses argued that, due to the platform being known for adult content, the move was at odds with their younger audience. Sarah continued: “I would like to play a villain, because I’ve never played a villain. I am now in a different casting bracket, which is really fun as well. Brushing off the past, Sarah now wants to return to soapland, keen to take on a darker role than she is known for. “I want to play more of a mature, powerful woman. I look at Hannah Waddingham, I love her and her career. She’s amazing.” Pausing, she added: “A lot of people have messaged saying I should play a detective or a really powerful police officer. I mean, I’m not picky.” During her time on OnlyFans, Sarah is reported to have raked in a staggering £2.8 million. She charges $19.99 (£15) and after reportedly earning close to £3million from OnlyFans, she’s not surprised people are interested in why she’s not retiring early. But her passion for acting has never dimmed. Taking to Instagram earlier this year, Sarah said: “I haven’t been on screen in over four years, but that doesn’t mean I stopped wanting it. But now I’m a woman in my mid-40s trying to find my way back. “Not because I ever stopped loving it.. but because somewhere along the way, life shifted, and my priorities changed, and time just moved on. And suddenly… the thing that once felt like me felt further away.” She added: “But here’s the truth I can’t ignore anymore, I still have that pull, that desire, that voice saying, ‘you’re not done yet’. And if I’m honest.. it’s equal parts exciting and terrifying to admit that out loud.” Despite the vast, sudden influx of money thanks to OnlyFans, Sarah has zero plans to cut back on working – be it acting or not. In fact, she’s more focused than ever to expand her career, and has set up side hustle businesses, too. She recently hosted her first pole dancing retreat for example, after becoming a pole dancing instructor. She is also taking her reformer exams to become a Reformer Pilates instructor. Sarah praises OnlyFans for allowing her to continue her hobbies and passions without stressing about finding an acting job or spiraling into debt. Sarah said: “It’s opened up so many doors for me in terms of giving me back my time to find hobbies I enjoy. I’m a qualified pole instructor now. I’m just about to do my reformer qualifications. “Also, off the back of OF, I can build other businesses. I want to be multifaceted.” Gushing over her love of stripping off and pole dancing, Sarah said: “Four years ago I came home from my first class and I told my husband, ‘I’ve found my thing. I love it’. “It is the most supportive, non-judgemental community. It’s the safest I’ve ever felt. Growing up as a woman you often find yourself in situations where you feel a bit uncomfortable or women are pitted against each other. But with pole, I never once felt judged or uncomfortable. I love it for that.” While she’s partial to a sexy dance or two, Sarah insists writhing around a pole is more hard work than it is arousing. The actress has been indulging in other hobbies – she recently hosted her first pole dancing retreat after becoming a pole dancing instructor Credit: Instagram She said her husband is really ‘supportive’ of her OF career and he photographs her racy shots Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk Sarah said: “Obviously, the origin of pole is with strippers, but it’s so much more than that. Yes, there is a sexual element to it, if you want there to be, but there’s also these absolutely badass, strong women who are essentially gymnasts.” The best-of-both-worlds approach is firmly supported by her husband, Jon Smith, who photographs a lot of her racy shots. Sarah said: “What’s really great about OF is that I’m in complete creative control. I’m in charge of it all, so sometimes I shoot with photographers that I love, and then on occasions, yeah, my husband’s taking pictures. “He always gets the best pictures. I think because, obviously, he’s a man, so he knows what guys like. He’s like, ‘Let’s do this angle,’ or ‘Oh my God, you look amazing’. “He’s really supportive and I think that’s amazing. It’s really nice to be able to support each other. He’s not in the slightest jealous. “He’s never felt threatened by this because when he met me… that’s all I’ve done all my career anyway. He never watched Hollyoaks, so he didn’t know who I was. “We worked on a theatre job together. That’s how we met. I think it was more his mates going, ‘You know, that’s Mandy from Hollyoaks,’ and probably pulling up old pictures. “I did all the nineties and noughties lads’ mags. I was on the cover of Maxim. I was on the cover of FHM. I enjoyed it. No, I loved it. I went to some beautiful places, got to work with some amazing people, got some gorgeous pictures out of it, but it was never on my terms. “I never got paid for any of that stuff— I didn’t even get to choose what I was wearing. The pictures were edited so that it was no longer my body, and that’s really difficult to see, especially as a young woman. I started doing those shoots when I was, like, 17, 18.” Now in her 40s, Sarah says she feels more empowered than ever. Sarah added: “I’ve definitely found my voice in terms of being able to stand in my power and speak my truth, and actually be unfiltered. “When I was in a soap I was told what I could say, but now I’m free. I’m a grown woman and I can say what I want, and I’m allowed to feel this, or I’m allowed to feel p****d off or angry. “Now I get to do what I want to do and I have the full copyright and control of all the images, which is huge. 2Before, those images would go out, and they’re still flying all over the internet, you know, whereas I have full control and copyright and stuff like that.” Former Hollyoaks stars Sarah and James have reunited for a new Only Fans show Credit: Race of Wits Before her return to acting, Sarah will be back on the small screens in a game show Race of Wits Credit: Sarah Jayne Dunn Before a possible return to soaps, Sarah is back on the small screen via OFTV—OnlyFans’ free-to-view TV platform. Sarah is reunited with her former Hollyoaks co-star James Sutton, who has also joined the platform, in the game show Race of Wits. The original eight-episode series launched on August 25 and also stars former Skins actress Megan Prescott. James played John Paul McQueen in Hollyoaks from 2006 until leaving the soap in February this year. Like Sarah, he now strips off online and is earning serious money. Sarah said: “I hadn’t seen James for ages, but we’d spoken quite a lot previous to that ’cause he’d just jumped on the platform. So we were having chats. He was asking for advice. I was obviously helping him out.” Since Sarah joined OF in 2021, slowly more and more Brits have joined the platform. Currently, there are 4.6 million active content creators on OnlyFans. Sarah said: “I think it’s great that it has softened—isn’t as taboo as it was. I think people are realising that actually, especially in the acting industry, to be able to have another source of income, another avenue, is great. I’ve trained as a PT. “I’ve trained as a beautician, I’ve worked in beauty salons. I’ve done everything in between. “But the second that another acting job comes in, you have to drop that, whereas what OF has given me is that I can continue to do this, and when other jobs and other bits come in, I don’t have to suddenly drop OF, I can just manage my schedule around it.”