The actress who left the Channel 4 soap in 2021 has spent months campaigning to be on the BBC series
A Hollyoaks legend has shared their disappointment after being snubbed by Strictly Come Dancing.
Despite not premiering until September, the BBC dancing competition has already begun sharing which stars will be taking to the dancefloor. Last year’s series was won by former footballer Karen Carney, who was taught the art of dance by Carlos Gu.
It’s going to be a year of change for Strictly, with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe replacing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on presenting duties. Additionally, five pro dancers, including Karen Hauer and Gorka Marquez, will not be returning.
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The first of the stars announced as part of the class of 2026 was Lacey Turner. The EastEnders legend is best known for playing the role of Stacey Slater on the BBC soap for over two decades.
Several days later, Love Island’s Dani Dyer was revealed to be returning to the series. Dani was replaced by Amber Davies, who reached the final with Nikita Kuzmin, following the 2025 launch show after she picked up an injury.
The only other stars announced for the next season of Strictly is global superstar Delta Goodrem, who recently represented her native country Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest, and hair stylist Chris Appleton. With more stars being teased by the day, one actress has taken to social media to reveal they haven’t been picked.
Leigh native Sarah Jayne Dunn is best known for playing Mandy Richardson on the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks from 1996 until 2021. Despite entertaining viewers for 25 years, Mandy’s exit occurred offscreen.
Sarah Jayne spent months campaigning to be picked to compete on Strictly. Taking to Instagram on Sunday (June 28), she revealed that her mission didn’t come to fruition this time around.
She wrote: “Well, this chapter didn’t end the way I’d hoped. Of course I’m disappointed. I wanted this more than I can put into words. But if this journey has taught me anything, it’s that saying your dreams out loud isn’t something to be embarrassed about.
“It’s brave. It’s vulnerable. And whether you get the outcome you’re hoping for or not, there’s something really powerful about backing yourself. Over the last few months I’ve been overwhelmed by your support.
“From every message, comment and share, to seeing my name mentioned on TV and radio… this journey has already given me more than I ever expected. So no, I won’t be stepping onto the dancefloor this year.”
Sarah Jayne continued: “But I also won’t be quietly talking myself out of the possibility that one day I will. Dreams don’t always arrive on our timeline. That doesn’t mean they’re over.
“Thank you for coming on this journey with me. Here’s to whatever comes next… and to always asking, ‘Why not me?’ Manifesting continues… just with a different date.”
The 45-year-old actress was dropped from Hollyoaks after refusing to remove photos from the adult subscription site OnlyFans. A Channel 4 spokesperson said at the time: “Hollyoaks is a youth-facing drama with many young viewers, who follow our cast very closely, both in the soap and outside of it.
“We take our responsibility to our young audience very seriously and therefore the show does not allow any Hollyoaks cast members to be active on certain 18+ websites. We had hoped we could reach a resolution with Sarah that would allow her to remain in her role as Mandy, but we respect her choice to continue to produce content on OnlyFans.
“In the past four years since her return to the show her legacy character has been an integral part of some our most important storylines and we will be very sad to see her go.”
Sarah Jayne said at the time that setting up the OnlyFans page was ‘about taking back control’. She noted: “I’ve done men’s mag upon men’s mag and calendar upon calendar, I’ve enjoyed every shoot but never felt like I had much say in them.
“I’ve been pitted against other girls and felt deflated if not chosen for a shoot or for a cover, I’ve been airbrushed, retouched and ‘enhanced’ without consent and without necessity and I’ve not always been given photo or copy (the wording of an interview) approval, leaving both my image and words distorted.
“The older I get the more cathartic it is to take back control, to put healthy boundaries in place and to know my worth and my value.”



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