BURST BUBBLE
Soaps’ most brutal axings – EastEnders star left ‘devastated’ by drowning to Hollyoaks legend booted off in OnlyFans row
One former Corrie star says his axing "blew his entire world apart"...
SOAP deaths are nearly always shocking and dramatic for fans - but sometimes even the actors don’t see it coming!
The Sun on Sunday revealed Coronation Street legend Les Battersby will be killed off, off-screen, in an upcoming episode - 17 years after he was last seen on the cobbles.
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Actor Bruce Jones, 71, played Les for 10 years until he was suspended for allegedly getting drunk in a restaurant, insulting fans and revealing plots.
Les was written out as a consequence, but die-hard fans have always hoped the character would return one day, especially as his daughter Leanne and step-daughter Toyah are still in Weatherfield.
But in a new interview, Bruce revealed how he was told about Les' demise in an email a fortnight ago.
He said: "I actually thought, well fine, I played him for ten years. It gives me closure.
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"Maybe it will stop people asking me all the time when I'm going back, if I'm going back.
"People want me back, but it'll stop all that, in shopping centres, wherever I go.
"I'm pleased it's happening but I'm also sad about losing a character I played for ten years. I'm grateful to the street for that."
But he’s not the only soap actor to be brutally axed, as we reveal…
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Ricky Norwood - EastEnders
Ricky Norwood joined the cast of EastEnders in 2010, as cheeky chappy Fatboy.
The comedy character became one of the most loved on the square, moving in with Dot Cotton who saw him as a son after Nick Cotton died.
EastEnders airs ANOTHER legendary comeback as fan favourite character returns to screens tonight
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But he became embroiled in Vincent Hubbard and Phil Mitchell’s war - and agreed to flee the square on Christmas Day 2015, after Vincent threatened Dot.
Unfortunately, Fatboy never made it out of Walford.
Ronnie Mitchell had made plans to have Vincent killed by stuffing him into a boot and having the car crushed - but Vincent found Fatboy’s dead body in the boot instead, with Ronnie’s hitmen having got the wrong person.
Fatboy’s axing wasn’t long after an eight-minute Skype clip had been released of Ricky naked, engaging in a sex act and smoking cannabis.
He was given a two-month suspension and returned for a few months, before being killed off for good soon after.
Last year, Ricky returned to EastEnders in a flashback, as part of Cindy Beale’s return.
He told : "I was absolutely thrilled to be asked by Chris Clenshaw to reprise the role of Fatboy for a flashback scene in tonight's episode.”
Referencing the late June Brown - who played Dot - he added: "Being back in the Square felt like coming home and it was so lovely to see old friends and new faces - but of course I missed not having Mrs B there.”
Georgia May Foote - Coronation Street
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Georgia May Foote played Katy Armstrong in Corrie from 2010 until 2015 when she quit the soap.
Her exit saw her move to Portugal with her son Joseph Brown.
But two years later, Katy’s sister Izzy Armstrong received a phone call telling her that Katy had died in a car crash - and Joseph came back to the cobbles to live with his dad Chesney Brown.
When asked by fans in a Q&A online, how she felt about her off-screen axing, she said: "I wouldn’t say disappointed at all.
"I’m one of those people when I leave a job I’m ready for the next adventure. Corrie was an amazing nearly 5 years for me, I learnt so much and will forever be grateful for the show."
Georgia - who also had a guest role of Jess Burrows in January 2010 - added: "Would I have gone back if I could? I can’t answer that because I will never know.
“But the time I had there was a special time in my life and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to have played not only one, but two roles in the show. It’s iconic."
Georgia has now quit acting, and is working as a nail technician in her own salon in Manchester.
Chris Fountain - Hollyoaks
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Justin Burton is one of Hollyoaks’ most iconic characters, having memorably had an affair with his teacher Becca Hayton as a teenager.
Chris Fountain - who played Justin - was last seen on-screen in 2019, but viewers hoped he was making a comeback last year when his and Becca’s now grown-up son Charlie Dean went looking for him.
However, it wasn’t to be, as all Charlie found was a gravestone which confirmed Justin had died in October 2022.
While Chris hasn’t spoken out about Justin’s sudden off-screen death, he went on to star in Corrie as Tommy Duckworth in 2011.
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However, two years later, he was axed from the ITV soap after videos emerged which saw him rapping about rape and violence under the alias of The Phantom.
At the time, an ITV spokesperson said: "Chris Fountain’s contract with ITV has been terminated as a result of the unacceptable comments he made in a number of online clips."
Chris issued a statement after the incident saying he was “deeply ashamed by the lyrics”.
Speaking on Scott Thomas’ podcast Learning As I Go, last year, Chris said: "That singular week in August 2013 just blew my entire life apart. All the foundations of what I'd built as a career just completely came crashing down.
“And it was the start of a real downward spiral in terms of my mental health, my confidence."
Samantha Womack & Rita Simons - EastEnders
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One of the most shocking soap axings of all time was Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell, played by Samantha Womack and Rita Simons.
The on-screen sisters were killed off in devastating scenes on New Year’s Day 2017, on Ronnie and Jack Branning’s wedding day.
Roxy jumped into a pool, and suffered a heart attack, having taken drugs earlier in the night.
Ronnie jumped in to save her sister - but instead caused both sisters to drown underneath her wedding dress.
I was devastated because I wasn't planning to leave...I had to drown myself. That was really hard, having to kill someone that I loved.
Samantha Womack
The episode ended with the sisters’ bodies in the water, meaning there’s not even hope of a classic EastEnders return from the dead.
The deaths sparked a major backlash with viewers - and Ronnie actress Samantha has admitted she was also “devastated” by then-producer Sean O’Connor’s decision.
She told John Bishop on his podcast: “I was devastated because I wasn't planning to leave. I was waiting to meet the new producer.
“He was coming in. I was excited because I felt like [Ronnie had] got really dark and it'd become really over-sensationalised.
"So I thought with this new guy coming in, 'great,' I'd heard he wanted to take it back to kind of reality, less murders. And I was thinking 'great, that's right up my street'."
Samantha added: "So I met him the first time and I said 'I think she's too dark' and he said 'I completely agree with you so we're going to kill her' and I was like 'what?!' First time I ever met him.
“So yeah, I had to drown myself. That was really hard, having to kill someone that I loved."
Sarah Jayne Dunn - Hollyoaks
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Sarah Jayne Dunn played Mandy Richardson on Hollyoaks on and off from 1996, not long after the soap started airing.
But in 2021, she was axed from the Channel 4 show when it emerged she was on OnlyFans, after a co-star allegedly complained about her.
She told The Sun: “Apparently there is one person who complained. I think I know who that is now, I have my suspicions for sure.
“It was like any workplace — you get on with most people, but there will be a couple that you don’t.”
Hollyoaks viewers were told Mandy had simply flown off to Los Angeles all of a sudden, leaving her teenage daughter Ella Richardson with her auntie Cindy Cunningham.
Ironically, Ella and Cindy - played by Erin Palmer and Steph Waring - have also since been axed.
And last year, Sarah Jayne said she had no regrets about refusing to quit OnlyFans, choosing it over Hollyoaks.
Alongside a picture of herself modelling OnlyFans merchandise, she wrote on Instagram: “Creative freedom. Unfiltered, physically and vocally. Financial stability. Control of my time and my schedule. New exciting opportunities.
“Best decision I ever made. Actually I do have one regret, not joining sooner!!”
Gemma Oaten - Emmerdale
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Gemma Oaten first joined the cast of Emmerdale as Rachel Breckle in 2011.
But an affair with Charity Dingle’s man Jai Sharma led to a son Archie, as well as her exit in 2014, when Charity framed her for an arson incident at Home Farm, encouraging her to go on the run with Archie.
The following year, Rachel made a surprise return, alongside Archie, as a witness at Charity's trial.
This led to a custody battle, which Rachel eventually won - and she took Archie and moved to Liverpool with her sister Ali.
Jai was allowed fortnightly supervised visits with his son but lost contact with him - until it was suddenly announced in 2019 Rachel had died off-screen with an undisclosed cardiac illness.
When Rachel died, Gemma took to Instagram to pay tribute to her character.
She wrote: “And so Rachel has joined her soap family in the sky. What a journey it's been.
“I got the role of Rachel Breckle in Emmerdale within a year of graduating from Drama school and it changed my life. I always dreamed I'd be part of the show one day, and as many of you know my struggles as a teen, you'll understand why it really was a dream come true.
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“Forever grateful for those four years playing her and the comfort of those jogging bottoms and hoodie (perhaps not so much the scrunchy).
“Thanks for all the lovely comments since the news came out and for all the support I've had since I left the show in 2015. You're a lovely bunch! End of an era..”
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