Five years after being cut from Hollyoaks over her OnlyFans account, Sarah-Jayne Dunn is trying to write her way back into the industry that once pushed her out.
The 44-year-old actress, best known for playing Mandy Richardson on and off since 1996, has publicly called for acting work on Instagram, marking a candid attempt to restart her screen career after a long hiatus — and a highly publicised pivot into adult content creation.
“I haven’t been on screen in over four years, but that doesn’t mean I stopped wanting it,” she wrote, posting a throwback image from her soap days alongside a new headshot and a direct appeal to casting directors.
Dunn’s message framed the moment as both a confession and a pitch: a mid-career reset built on experience rather than momentum. She acknowledged the uncertainty of returning to acting in her 40s, describing the process as “equal parts exciting and terrifying,” while arguing that time away has added “depth and stories that couldn’t have been told before.”
Her post comes after a controversial but financially successful run on OnlyFans, where she reportedly earned around £1.5 million after leaving the Channel 4 soap in 2021. At the time, Hollyoaks bosses terminated her contract after she declined to shut down her account, a decision that sparked wider debate about morality clauses, personal branding and performers’ autonomy outside traditional media contracts.
Since then, Dunn has worked outside mainstream television, including as a pole dancing instructor, while maintaining a steady online presence and defending her decision to join the subscription platform.
She has previously argued that OnlyFans offered a greater sense of control than traditional entertainment work, citing a past stalking ordeal that left her feeling vulnerable while working on the soap. In interviews, she described receiving disturbing messages on social media that were difficult to police, contrasting that with OnlyFans’ gated messaging system, where content is filtered and user interaction is more controlled.
Dunn has also accused Hollyoaks of hypocrisy, pointing to the show’s use of sexualised imagery in promotional shoots while criticising her for monetising her own image independently. Online backlash followed her move, with critics branding her decision “cheap,” a label she has repeatedly rejected.
In earlier comments, she said she wished she had joined the platform sooner, arguing that much of the discomfort surrounding her career shift came from outdated perceptions of sex work and control.
Her latest appeal signals a potential second act in television — though whether casting directors are willing to re-engage remains an open question. The industry that once sidelined her for OnlyFans success may now be asked to reconsider what “professional boundaries” look like in an era where creators routinely move between mainstream entertainment and subscription platforms.
For Dunn, the message is straightforward: she’s back, available, and looking for another shot.
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Last modified: April 17, 2026
