It’s always a shock when your favorite actress leaves a show, especially when she’s been on that show for decades—and that’s exactly what Sarah Jane Dunn did to her fans in 2021. Or rather, it’s what the producers did to the fans.
Dunn, who was born in Manchester, played the role of Mandy Richardson on the popular Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks, until she abruptly left the show. Now that time has passed, Dunn has opened up about the experience and her unexpected departure from the show, revealing that the choice to leave was “taken out of her hands” after she joined the subscription-based platform OnlyFans.
That’s because producers discovered her OnlyFans account and summarily dismissed her when she refused to take it down. Dunn found the decision hypocritical, as the producers had spent the last two decades sexualizing her on screen for viewers, but as soon as she tried to take some control over how she was being sexualized she was fired.
But viewers didn’t seem to understand. She said of the experience: “I never really left, it was sort of misconstrued. When I joined OnlyFans, it was never my intention to leave the show. That decision was taken out of my hands and widely publicized. 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.”
43-year-old Dunn, who has been on screen since the age of 14, admitted that she used to struggle with her body image. She described how her image was constantly being manipulated: “You know, my boobs were being made bigger and my tummy was being made flawless. And all the natural things – and imperfections is the wrong word, because they’re not imperfections – were removed. So I grew up not knowing what my body should or did look like. I’d see a picture of it in a lads’ mag, then look at it in the mirror, and it was different.”
That’s why part of her platform now is to become a voice for women who are tired of being sexualized and monetized by others. Her goal is to help women set boundaries, take control of their lives, and succeed—starting with herself.
Dunn claims to feel more confident and sexy than ever, and said about her decision to join OnlyFans: “I’ve got a lovely following and I create content that I was creating anyway but I do it now on my terms and it really works for me. I won’t do it forever, but it’s given me a really comfortable life and I enjoy it, so I don’t see myself stopping it any time soon.”
She’s also adding a new title to her name: pole dancing teacher. She revealed on Instagram (with a sexy photo in sky-high heels) that she’s now a pole dancing teacher and her comment section was flooded with support and people wishing her luck with her new endeavor. But it seems like she isn’t into teaching for the money. She genuinely fell in love with pole dancing, and this new venture is something to do in addition to her OnlyFans account and her work as a brand ambassador for the lingerie company, Raine & Bea.