By Duncan Lindsay
Copyright metro
James Sutton joined Hollyoaks in 2006. (Picture: Shutterstock)
It’s the end of an era for Hollyoaks fans as show favourite James Sutton is leaving his role as John Paul McQueen next year, two decades after his 2006 debut.
The actor, also known for playing Emmerdale’s Ryan Lamb, will bow out in what is set to be an explosive storyline.
The news comes ahead of the show’s 30th anniversary celebrations in October, which is set to see at least two other exits of stars amid some seriously dramatic twists.
But James is expected to remain on screen for some time yet, making it a clean 20 years since he first started all that time ago.
‘James has loved his time at Hollyoaks but he’s got other things that he wants to do,’ a source said.
‘John Paul is a big favourite with fans and bosses alike but it’s felt the time is right for him to say goodbye to the village.’
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John Paul and Craig’s relationship captured a nation’s attention (Picture: Lime Pictures)
They added to The Sun: ‘James has his eye on a new career away from acting with a self-improvement campaign for men like him.
‘He’s really revamped his own life over the last few years with fitness and mental health transformations and he thinks he could help others do the same.
‘It’s not a goodbye to acting but it’s not going to be the only thing he does now.’
As well as traumatic storylines such as male rape and alcohol abuse, John Paul is perhaps best known and most beloved as one half of one of TV’s most iconic LGBTQ+ couples, McDean.
John Paul and Craig’s relationship is one of the earliest examples of a UK soap LGBTQ+ couple building an astonishing fanbase.
Soap producer Kate Brooks, currently in charge of Coronation Street, recalls the reaction to McDean as something she had never experienced previously.
James now focuses on his physical and mental wellbeing (Picture: James Sutton/Instagram)
It remains to be seen how John Paul will exit the show (Picture: Lime Pictures)
Having worked as a storyliner on the plot at the time, she told Metro: ‘It was the first time I had experienced fandoms and it was amazing, people would send things in to the story offices, which never happened – back then it was even through old-style post.
‘They’d send letters begging for a sunset ending for them.’
As for whether John Paul gets a happy ever after remains to be seen but Metro has reached out to Hollyoaks representatives for comment.
James himself remains busy with his popular podcast Male Mind Matters, which sees him discuss various aspects of male mental health with a wide spectrum of guests.
He told me when launching it: ‘If you don’t have a safe space to give you the platform to have those conversations, men can go down a dark path with mental health struggles and the male suicide rate is still through the roof,’ James continued.
James has loved his time on the show but his focus won’t be solely acting (Picture: Getty)
‘I really want to make this podcast a tool in people’s arsenal that they can listen to and think, “If James and these people are speaking about these subjects, and the things that affect me and all of these men, then it’s ok for me to talk about these things with a friend, or a therapist, or a doctor or family member.”
‘Just to get this conversation out of your own head. That’s ultimately the ambition.’
It was during the podcast that he first opened up about his own experiences of childhood abuse during a chat with Duncan Craig OBE, the We Are Survivors charity lead who advised Hollyoaks on John Paul’s rape story.
It was something he told me he felt was a ‘natural’ thing to do in the safe space the podcast had provided.
In our candid conversation, he added: ‘It’s not something that’s affected me in my adult life,’ he reflected. ‘I put it behind me and it could’ve been a lot worse. I’ve got a very loving family and great support around me. A lot of people rallied around me.
‘But it does make you think about this level of abuse of trust, friendship and power that is out there, and more prevalent than you think. There’s a lot of guys out there who have never mentioned it or been to a therapist and discussed it and they’re carrying that weight with them. It can have ramifications and can affect you in your adult life.
‘Hopefully through this podcast and through the work that Duncan’s Survivors are doing, more men will feel they have the strength and the courage to speak up and get help so we can move forward as a society.’
