Sarah Jayne Dunn has pleaded with TV bosses to give her another chance on screen years after leaving Hollyoaks when she refused to shut down her OnlyFans account
08:07, 14 Apr 2026Updated 08:08, 14 Apr 2026
Sarah Jayne Dunn wants TV work again(Image: INSTAGRAM/sarahjaynedunn)
Sarah Jayne Dunn has implored television executives to give her another shot on the small screen years after departing from her role on Hollyoaks. The actress left the Channel 4 soap in 2021 to become an adult star sensation and teach pole dancing.
The 44-year-old was previously requested to close her account due to her scantily-clad posts. However, she declined and chose to leave her role on the soap instead. She had portrayed the character of Mandy Richardson since 1996 before her departure.
But now, despite making her decision half a decade ago, she yearns to return to acting. She expressed her feelings in a recent Instagram post, stating: “I haven’t been on screen in over 4 years, but that doesn’t mean I stopped wanting it.
Sarah left the soap in 2021(Image: @sarahjaynedunn/instagram)
“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 continued: “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”, reports the Mirror.
“Because this industry moves fast, and stepping back into it as a woman in her 40s? That takes a different kind of confidence.”
Sarah’s extensive comment went on: “But maybe it also brings something more… experience, depth and stories that couldn’t have been told before. So this is me.. Showing up again as an actress – and not who I was, but who I am now.”
The star performed pole dancing lessons online(Image: Sarah Jayne Dunn/Instagram)
And she concluded with an appeal: “If you’re casting, creating or reading this… I’m here. And if you’re ever felt the pull to return to something you love, go for it.”
Last year, Sarah confessed the choice to depart Hollyoaks was “taken out of my hands”. During an exclusive chat with New, Sarah candidly discussed how her surprising departure from the Channel 4 soap was misunderstood.
She revealed: “I never really left, it was sort of misconstrued. When I joined OnlyFans, it was never my intention to leave the show [ Hollyoaks ]. That decision was taken out of my hands, and widely publicised.
Sarah left her role on Hollyoaks (Image: Grab)
“When you’re an actor, you don’t ever “leave”, you’re in-between jobs. I’ve auditioned for other stuff, and if the right job came along and it fitted into my life and schedule, then I’d do it. I’ve been acting since I was a teen, so there’s always going to be part of me that misses it.”
She revealed at the time that she wasn’t seeking a route back, but it now appears as though that has shifted.
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