Paul Danan’s harrowing voice notes reveal torment before his death as Dapper Laughs shares emotional final conversations
THESE are some of the emotional final voice notes left by Paul Danan that reveal his addiction torment and incredible recovery in the years before he died.
Hollyoaks legend Paul, who passed away this week, was remembered as a kind and hilarious man who battled personal struggles but left a lasting impact on those around him, including fellow entertainer Dapper Laughs.
They worked together on a West End play in 2020, and became close pals in Paul's final years.
Dapper Laughs, real name Daniel O'Reilly, shared voice messages from Paul that revealed their common struggles and the amazing support offered by the late Love Island star.
In one, Paul said: "My brother, just thought I'd touch base really see how you are, how you're feeling. All that jazz. Your therapist Pauly is here."
Dapper replied, confessing: "I'm fighting a similar to what you’ve been fighting for years, the self-destructive stuff. From the point that we’re rehearsing, I wanna go completely sober, no booze, nothing."
"So so happy. I know that. I know, I know Dan, I know, I know you are. I know you’re one of us," Paul said.
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"I knew it the minute we left and you were like, 'Let’s go and have a beer.'
It comes as...
- Paul was found unresponsive in his luxury apartment
- He had been due to appear in court to face drug charges the day after he was found dead
- Paul's haunting final Instagram post revealed his hopes to return to acting
- He spoke about his tragic battle to beat his vaping addiction and drug demons before his death
- Katie Price has been leading stars paying tribute to the Hollyoaks actor and reality TV star
- Paul struggled to find love and turned to Love Island to help find the one
- The actor took on a surprising new career before his death
"That’s me, that’s f*****g me. Don’t you think I wanted to?
I don’t anymore because I know that I don’t need it.
"We don’t need it. Look at us on the couch. We’re the best of ourselves.
"We’re dynamic, buzzing, brilliant. We don’t need any of that s**t.
"We’re better, we’re the best of ourselves without it.
"With it, it makes us weaker. It makes us less than what we were meant to be."
Daniel also spoke about his grief, opening up about their close friendship and Paul’s profound influence on his life.
He told his followers: “I don’t normally comment on people passing away, but I really wanted to say a few words about Paul.
“It’s upset me today hearing about him passing. He helped me, and he was so nice to me. He was my pal.”
In the post Daniel revealed how Paul supported him during his darkest times, even helping him acknowledge his own issues with addiction.
He said: “Paul actually helped me change my life.
"People close to me obviously had said that I had a drink problem back in the day, but he was the first person to really put a label on it and introduced me to what that was
The pair had bonded during rehearsals for a West End play they performed in together, with Dapper recounting one of their funniest memories.
He went on: “I'll tell you a couple of funny things, when we were rehearsing for the West End play that we did together, we actually had to go to The Priory, his rehab, he was in rehab, and we had to go into The Priory to rehearse with him
“Every time I walked in, I’d shout, ‘Where’s the bar?’ He’d get the hump, but then he’d laugh because he had such a wicked sense of humour.”
Dapper also shared how Paul relied on him to help get into character for his role.
He said: “He’d come running into my dressing room saying, ‘Geezer me up!’ He wanted to be a proper geezer, so I’d hype him up, and he’d repeat it back.
Behind the headlines, Paul was a sweet, vulnerable, big-hearted guy
BY Oliver Grady, Assistant Showbiz Editor
Paul Danan may have grabbed his share of column inches over his all too short 46 years, from his colourful love life to his well-documented struggles with addiction, but behind the headlines, there was a very sweet, vulnerable, big-hearted guy.
I’ve met and spoken with Paul many times over the years and have always had a soft spot for him. He was funny, articulate, smart and great company.
Yes, he had his demons, but he was very open about them and was always striving to be a better version of himself.
He was extremely proud of his theatre company, The Morning After, which he set up to help fellow addicts work through their trauma through drama and acting.
While he seemed lost at times, and on several occasions opened up to me about his struggle to be taken seriously in the industry after his private life exploits overshadowed his professional accomplishments, he clearly found a purpose in supporting others and helping them stay on the path of recovery.
There was only one thing Paul was prouder of than his recovery and his theatre company, and that was his son DeNiro.
Paul lit up when he spoke about his boy, and looked forward to spending the weekends with him as he co-parented with the lad’s mum.
His whatsapp photo was him beaming with DeNiro, and he loved to talk about his offspring’s accomplishments and his hopes for his future.
It breaks my heart that DeNiro now has to go through the rest of his life without his dad, and Paul will never see him grow up.
I last heard from Paul at Christmas, when he left me a voicenote saying he had some exciting things planned for 2025.
I told him we’d catch up in the New Year, but sadly we never got the chance to.
I’ll miss you Paul. You were one of life’s good ones.
“Once, on the last night, I messed with him and planted something silly in his head just to wind him up before he went onstage.”
Dapper described their shared struggles with mental health and addiction saying they both had their battles, but” leaned on each other.”
He said: “When I finally admitted I had a problem and wanted to go sober, Paul took me under his wing.
“He showed me the ropes and introduced me to meetings. He made the process a hell of a lot easier for me.”
Dapper admitted Paul’s regular texts and quotes could get “annoying” but said he’ll miss them.
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He said: “At the time, they were a bit annoying, but now I think, ‘It's a shame I won’t get those texts anymore. They were nice.”
Dapper signed off with: “RIP Paul. Love you, mate.”