Sarah Jayne Dunn
Sarah Jayne Dunn (born 25 September 1981) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Mandy Richardson on the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 1996 until 2021. In November 2021, Dunn was dropped from Hollyoaks after she joined the adult subscription service OnlyFans.[2]
Sarah Jayne Dunn
25 September 1981
Actress
1996–present
1
Career[edit]
Hollyoaks[edit]
Dunn first appeared on the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks on 12 September 1996, walking into the video shop in the forty-third episode. Mandy came into the village at the age of 14 as a "wannabe supermodel" and quickly formed a friendship with Ollie Benson. In 2003, Dunn played a supporting role in the Brookside DVD spin-off, Unfinished Business. In 2004 Dunn appeared in the fitness DVD Hollyoaks Dance workout with Ali Bastian (Becca Dean) and Jodi Albert (Debbie Dean). Dunn left Hollyoaks as a cast regular in 2006.
Dunn has since returned to Hollyoaks five times. In February 2007 for a two episode stint for the funeral of Mandy's best friend, Becca. She returned in 2008 for six months, leaving in December after the disastrous wedding of Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) and Louise Summers (Roxanne McKee). In November 2010 Dunn returned to Hollyoaks with a one-year contract alongside Lomas, leaving in September 2011. Dunn reprised her role as Mandy for a guest stint in the spin-off Hollyoaks Later in October 2013. On 2 June 2017, it was announced that Dunn would reprise her role as Mandy alongside Gary Lucy, who plays Luke Morgan, in the main show.
Throughout her career, Dunn has been pictured wearing lingerie for glamour photography which she has shared on her Instagram account. On 22 October 2021, Dunn announced her decision to open an OnlyFans account to share her "sexier, racier" content. She explained that as a model, she was constantly compared to other women and her photos were edited to change her appearance without her consent; she opened the OnlyFans account to take control of her image. She added: "I feel sexy and strong and confident when I shoot images like this. I hope I give other women the confidence to own it, to work hard on themselves, to eat well and healthily and to move their bodies in whatever way makes them feel most alive and energised, to wear whatever they like without judgement and to feel proud to be a woman." Dunn's fans and Hollyoaks viewers supported her decision, while a spokesperson for Hollyoaks confirmed that the production team would be meeting with Dunn to discuss the account.[3]
On 3 November 2021, after her meeting with production, it was reported that Dunn had been "axed" from Hollyoaks. The reason given was that Dunn being active on OnlyFans was "not in line with its target audience"; the production team felt that they have a responsibility to younger viewers and stated that "the show does not allow any Hollyoaks cast members to be active on certain 18+ websites".[3] In their statement, the team confirmed that they wanted Dunn to take down her OnlyFans account to continue portraying Mandy, but due to her decision to continue posting on the website, they made the decision to write Mandy out of the soap. Viewers criticised the decision to axe Dunn and her character and stated that the soap are hypocritical due to formerly producing calendars showcasing the cast in similar photographs to Dunn's OnlyFans content.[4] Fans stated that they would boycott the soap and started a petition to reinstate her job. Dunn thanked fans for the support and later voiced her disappointment in her sacking. In an interview, she said that she would miss the cast and crew members and that she expected more from the production team, particularly due to her years of experience on the programme.[5]
Television[edit]
In 2007 Dunn appeared in single episodes of the BBC One series The Innocence Project, the BBC Three series Drop Dead Gorgeous and It's Adam and Shelley. She has also appeared in nine episodes of BBC One's medical soap opera Doctors. She has also appeared in an episode of Big Brother's Little Brother. In January 2010 Dunn appeared with Helen Noble on Ready Steady Cook. In January 2011 Dunn appeared in the former reality show Famous and Fearless on Channel 4. In May 2011 Dunn appeared in two episodes of the three partl BBC One series Exile. In October 2011 Dunn appeared in an episode of the BBC One reality series The Real Hustle. In 2014/15 she played international charity worker Taylor Ashbie in the BBC One medical drama Casualty (Series 29, episodes 13 to 29), who became the girlfriend of cast regular Caleb Knight (Richard Winsor). She left after it was revealed that the charity was actually a con-trick, and that she had knowingly conned Knight. She returned to the production in late 2015.