Where original Hollyoaks stars are now – from heartthrob turned builder to Strictly scandal & pop legend’s tragic death
FROM devastating explosions to steamy affairs and more serial killers than any other soap, Hollyoaks has seen it all.
And one man who’s been there since the very beginning in 1995, is Nick Pickard, who has played Tony Hutchinson for the last 28 years.
Tony has seen it all over his time in Hollyoaks village.
He’s been married four times, had numerous affairs and has seven children – of which two have died, two were found to be his as adults and two were swapped at birth.
The show’s longest-serving cast member even has a contract ensuring he’ll never be killed off – after Hollyoaks fans were led to believe Tony had been been murdered by serial killer Breda McQueen.
In real life, Nick became the latest celebrity to leave the I’m A Celebrity jungle in last night’s episode, leaving him to return to Hollyoaks.
But all his original cast mates have moved on, with some getting to dance on Strictly, while others have gone into “normal” jobs…
Will Mellor
Will Mellor first appeared on Hollyoaks, as James Bolton AKA Jambo, when he was just 19 years old – and is probably the biggest star from the original cast.
He moved on to Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps in 2001, in which he starred opposite Sheridan Smith and Ralf Little, and has been working since.
Will even joined rival soap Coronation Street in March 2021 as evil drug lord Harvey Gaskell.
He was last seen locked up in prison in December 2022 – but is going to be making a return to the cobbles in the new year.
Last year, Will narrowly missed out on the Strictly final, dancing with Nancy Xu, after his reaction in the semi-final was criticised by some viewers for being too angry with the judges’ critiques.
Defending his reaction, he said: “I am just human.
“I was disappointed, I’d worked so hard and we’d got so far in the competition, the last thing I wanted to do was get it wrong that night.”
Earlier this year, Will opened up about becoming the victim of fraudsters who used his identity to set up bank accounts in his name to launder money, only growing suspicious when he discovered someone rifling through his post.
He told GB News: ”He had basically stolen my identity, opened multiple accounts in my name, bank accounts, and laundered money through those accounts.
“Obviously, he was intercepting the mail before I could see it so I wouldn’t notice that I had these accounts open.”
Will has been married to his wife Michelle McSween since 2007 and has two children with her – son Jayden and daughter Renee.
Jeremy Edwards
Jeremy Edwards played Kurt Benson in Hollyoaks for three years until his character rode off on a motorbike in 1999, later dying in a jet ski accident offscreen.
He returned from the dead in 2020 for Hollyoaks’ 25th anniversary, but quit a few months later, due to trolling from viewers over his bad acting.
Announcing his decision to leave on Twitter, he wrote: “Many reasons but I’d be lying if I said being judged on here hasn’t influenced my decision.
“Never say never but for now I’m done. Thank you to those who have supported me for me.”
In between his Hollyoaks appearances, Jeremy has had a varied life.
He got engaged to S Club star Rachel Stevens in 2002, before breaking up the year after and eventually meeting his now wife Lydia Metz, who he married in 2009.
He also became a builder in 2011, and took part in The X Factor: Celebrity in 2019, along with Brendan Cole.
However, the duo were the only act to not make it past the auditions stage of the show.
Last year, Jeremy revealed he’d quit acting for good, and is now helping others learn the craft instead, working as a drama teacher at Film UK in Hampshire.
He told The Sun: “When Rishi Sunak was chancellor in lockdown he was saying that actors should look at other skills they could do. I agreed with him.
“I think that people don’t use their transferable skills enough.”
Alvin Stardust
Tony and his wife Diane Hutchinson are currently the landlords of Hollyoaks’ Dog in the Pond, but it was originally Greg Anderson, played by Alvin Stardust.
Alvin had already had a taste of fame before Hollyoaks, as a glam rock singer who had chart success with his hits like My Coo Ca Choo, Jealous Mind and Red Dress.
But in 2014, he sadly died of prostate cancer, at the age of 72.
This was just weeks before he was about to release his first album in 30 years, and the day after he’d performed onstage in Evesham.
Ian Puleston-Davies
He’s now more well-known as Owen Armstrong in Corrie, having played the builder from 2010 to 2015.
But Ian Puleston-Davies started out on Hollyoaks, as conman Terry Williams.
His last appearance was in November 1996, when he fled the village after stealing a large sum of money from Angela Cunningham.
Ian has been open about his debilitating battle with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
He told : “Catastrophising that I could be poisoned by touching a tea stain can be a common thought.
“My thoughts are mainly to do with contamination or fear of harm to myself or to others. If I spot a stain, my unwanted thought will tell me it’s toxic and dangerous, that if I or my children touch it, something awful will happen.
“I can often go back 10 or 20 times to examine the stain.”
Ian is currently starring in ITV drama Archie, as Pender.
Shebah Ronay
Shebah Ronay became the first Hollyoaks regular to be killed off in 1996, just five months after the show began, when her character Natasha Andersen suffered a drugs overdose after her drink was spiked with an ecstasy tablet at a party.
She continued acting in shows such as Reunion and The Man Who Cried, until 1998, when she began concentrating on her work as a model, presenter and journalist.
Shebah is now married to artist Jonathan Yeo, who has painted portraits for stars including the late Sir Michael Parkinson and Stephen Fry, and the pair share two daughters together.
She has even become his muse, appearing in two of his works of art.
Lisa Williamson
The Cunninghams are Hollyoaks’ longest-serving family, with siblings Cindy and Tom, alongside their children Hilton and Steph, the only members currently left on the show.
But their sister Dawn, played by Lisa Williamson, was the first member to appear on the soap.
After two years of hard-hitting storylines, including an unwanted teen pregnancy from an affair with her friend’s dad Jack Osbourne, she left the soap.
Lisa went on to appear in TV shows like Dream Team and Siren’s Bay, but is more well-known for voicing adverts now, as well as being a published author.
Some of her most successful young adult books include The Art of Being Normal and Paper Avalanche.
Yasmin Bannerman
Yasmine Bannerman played Maddie Parker, manager of the village’s local restaurant, on Hollyoaks until August 1997.
She continued to act after, appearing in TV shows like Cold Feet, Life on Mars, Doctor Who and Torchwood.
She even starred in the hit films Maybe Baby and Killing Me Softly.
However, she seems to have stepped away from acting now, with her last role in an episode of Casualty in 2009.
Brett O’Brien
Louise Taylor was a short-lived character on Hollyoaks, leaving the show in May 1996, after falling in love with a free spirit traveller named Tree.
Played by Brett O’Brien, her most memorable moment was when she claimed to be able to see Natasha’s ghost after her death.
Following her Hollyoaks departure, Brett has appeared in other shows like Wire in the Blood and The Bill.
But she’s seemingly stepped away from the spotlight now, as her most recent role was in 2009, as Nurse Miriam Gregory in an episode of Law & Order: UK.