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END OF THE ROAD
Hollyoaks star breaks down in tears after axe as he slams bosses for how they handled it
The star was given the boot after eight years with viewers learning his fate tonight
HOLLYOAKS actor Gregory Finnegan has revealed that he broke down in tears after he was axed from the Channel 4 soap as he slams bosses for how they handled it.
Gregory, 44, who played popular James Nightingale for nine years, was blown up by a car bomb at the end of today’s dramatic episode.
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In an exclusive interview with The Sun, the dad-of-three, reveals how he initially held it together and even thanked bosses for his time on the show after he was told of their decision back in March.
But being a “dead man walking” on set, as he saw out the remainder of his contract, he found himself having a number of difficult conversations with the cast and crew.
As news of his axing swept round the building, a conversation with co-star Alex Fletcher, who plays Diane Hutchinson, led to him “bawling” his eyes out.
He said: “News did go round relatively quickly. Someone put it on a group that they were going, so I did too.
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“People seemed shocked which was nice in it’s own way but at the same time quite depressing when people are coming up to you saying ‘I can’t believe it, that’s ridiculous’ you’re like, okay, I’ve dealt with it.
“Everyone was very kind in both the cast and crew. It wasn’t much fun going in when you know you’re a dead man walking.
“Lovely Alex Fletcher just stared at me, then she started crying and I started crying. I was like, ‘Fletch you’ve got to stop, because I haven’t cried at all, and this was weeks after it had happened but she just completely broke me, and then I was bawling. But it’s good to get it out. People dealt with it in different ways, a lot of people didn’t say anything fro a while because they didn’t know what to say, they keep their jobs.
“There’s no ill feeling, it’s no-ones fault, the more upfront people were the easier I found to deal with it.”
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Gregory, whose book, The World According to Grog was released today, added: “It was a gradual thing over a few weeks.
Hollyoaks' James Nightingale actor Gregory Finnegan's real-life wife Ariana Fraval joins the cast as DS Cohen
“I tried to keep it together for my family, stiff upper lip, all that kind of thing, but gradually it was that wave of sadness, and upset, like I say in my book, it was like a grief process and I really did go through it. It was a hard thing to come to terms with.
“You tell yourself, it’s just a job, but you’ve been there nine years, made friends, had formed relationships, these are people you see more than you see your own family.
“It was like having the rug pulled from underneath you. I thought at the very least I would make it to the 30th anniversary next year, so when the announcement came, I was like, oh goodness. It was a shock.”
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He added: "My contract was up at the beginning of August which was the end of the old era and the start of the re-launch.
"Filmed the big explosion back in June. Did a few bits in July. I didn’t get told when my last scene was so I didn’t get to say goodbye to everyone, it wasn’t handled particularly well, but that’s the way it is."
Gregory joined Hollyoaks back in 2015 following the arrival of the rest of the Nightingale family, and his first scenes as scheming gay lawyer James screened in January 2016.
Over the years he has been involved in some of the soap’s biggest storylines but following the departure of his on-screen son Romeo, played by hunk Owen Warner, 25, earlier this year, he was the last Nightingale standing. His on-screen mum Marnie, played by Lysette Anthony, was killed off in an explosion at her cafe in 2022, dad Mac, actor David Easter, was poisoned by serial killer Breda McQueen in 2019, shortly after brother Alfie, played by Richard Linnell, left the village.
Sister Ellie, actress Sophie Porley, had already left in 2018 after pushing her dad Mac from a building and leaving him with locked-in syndrome.
And brother Nathan, played by Jared Garfield, fell backwards out of a window and to his death in 2017.
Gregory admitted that he thought his character might be in trouble when bosses announced that a third of the cast and crew would be cut back in March.
From next week episodes will be on three times a week instead of five following the brutal cost-cutting measures by Channel 4.
Hollyoaks - cast member cull
HOLLYOAKS beauty Chelsee Healey has dropped the biggest hint yet she's been axed from the soap - yet what's happening at the Channel 4 show?
Earlier this year, the Channel 4 soap was forced to address the cull of cast members.
It came after The Sun was first to report Hollyoaks bosses plan to kill off a whopping 20 cast members.
Now Chelsee, who recently took time away from her role as Goldie McQueen to give birth to her second daughter, has now made a cryptic move on X.
The Manchester lass, 36, re-posted a picture of her character crying to her page.
It came after Stephanie Waring, famed for her 28-year-long role as Cindy Cunningham, confirmed that soap bosses had axed her as part of the 20-person strong cast cull.
Another big name set to quit for good is popstar turned soap star Jamelia.
The soap's resident hunk and TV favourite Owen Warner has also left the show amid the cuts with fans left devastated to say goodbye to his character Romeo Nightingale.
Jamie Lomas has also quit the show and will depart his Warren Fox role soon.
Haiesha Mistry famed for her role as Yasmine Maalik has also left after seven years.
He said: “It was such a horrible shock for everyone when that initial announcement was made, but I knew that my head could be on the block. For two reasons, firstly I didn’t really have a story, they had something lined up that sadly hadn’t worked out.
“I also didn’t have any immediate family left on the show, there were no Nightingales left!
“We’d been told that these meetings were coming and one by one we went in. It was in an odd part of the building that you never go to, in a tiny little office, and I walked in, the head of production and executive producer, she had a piece of paper in front of her and she started reading it.
“I can’t remember exactly what was said, but it was something like, ‘We’re not here to chat, we’re here to read this pre-prepared statement, which they did, and about 15 seconds in, I heard our executive producer Hannah’s voice cracking a little bit, and there was a flush in her cheeks, so I knew.
“The paper took a good few minutes to read, I’d made my peace with it and knew what was coming.....there was no pause, it wasn’t like The X-Factor or anything... and then she said, ‘you will not be joining us past the end of your current contract.
“I said, thank you for your time, wished them all the best, and walked out.”
Gregory filmed his final scenes with the soap back in July and spent the summer off with his wife Ariana, also an actress, and their three sons, while finishing his book.
He said: “As soon as I knew I was going, they said, we’re going to tell everyone he’s got a brain tumour, he’ll get the all clear and then we’re going to blow him up instantly!
“They said the viewers are going to be really upset.
“No-one wants to die in a soap, like I say in the book, you never see a dead body and it’s soap so anything is possible. But at the same time when things are taken out of your hands there is no going back and you can move on.
“I made so many lovely friends and moved my family up for London to The Wirral, which is beautiful. We really love it here and are very happy. And to have an amazing city like Liverpool on your doorstep, well I can’t imagine going back. Although with this job you never know where you’re going to end up. I made so many friends on Hollyoaks. I loved the crew, and really got on with so many actors, and had it not been for the show our paths would never have crossed. I’ll always be grateful for my time on the show. I’ve made peace with it all.”
Gregory started writing his book, an honest account of his personal life as he navigated the world of acting, earlier this year.
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He said: “I started writing it a while back, I’ve got so many ridiculous and horrendous stories from when I was auditioning and jobs that I conspired to not get just by doing either being nervous or doing something incredibly stupid. There’s loads of those stories in the book, and now I’m going back out into that world, it’s going to be very interesting.
“I’m really hoping that someone comes along with an idea or a script lands on my desk, something to get excited about.”
And on the future of soaps he said: “Soaps do make a difference, it’s a really important medium and it’s a shame where it’s headed at the moment, because it does offer something unique especially in the British psyche.
“I had so many people reach out to me over the years, which is always lovely to get. The character was abused as a child, and I had people reaching out to me.
“I did try and point them in the right direction because I’m not the person that can help them, but you do what you can.
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“It showed that we must be doing something right.”
Gregory’s book, The World According to Grog, is out now. Readers can buy it by clicking this link
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