16 April 2024 , 16:15
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Stephanie Waring was among the twenty Hollyoaks stars to get the boot from the program and on Tuesday, she revealed the painful details of her exit.
The actress, known for her portrayal of original character Cindy Cunningham on Channel 4, broke her silence for the first time since being dropped from the long-running show as she recalled "crying" and being left in utter disbelief by news of her upcoming exit.
"I was being drip fed the names of the people who were going, and I remember crying at one of them, and I had this gut feeling that I would be too", the 46-year-old explained. Stephanie was still clinging on to the hope she'd be spared by the axe as she also remembered signing "a year-long contract" shortly before she was given the boot.
Stephanie Waring revealed the harrowing details of her heartbreaking exit from Hollyoaks, detailing how she pleaded with bosses to be given another chance (Channel 4)"Everyone was telling me I would be fine as I’m an original character", she continued. But when the time came, Stephanie was "very distraught" to discover her longevity on the Chester-based show wouldn't save her. Bosses "read from a script", leaving her fate out until the very end.
"They got to the end and said ‘And with that, we will be losing Cindy from the show’. I just kept saying ‘I don’t understand’. I was very distraught, I didn’t take it well - I was probably the most dramatic person they told", Stephanie shared to The Sun.
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"I was clutching at anything - telling them ‘but I was the first person to give birth on the show!’ I could see the distress I was causing them because they were upset that I was so upset." A crushed Stephanie left the painful meeting in uncontrollable tears before finding two of her co-stars and her fiancé Tom Brookes who comforted her while she sobbed.
In March, Hollyoaks bosses announced the long-running show would be aired three times a week from September, 2024, as opposed to five previously, and a permanent one-year time jump has also been thrown into the mix, paving the way for a string of exits including fellow fan favourites Owen Warner, Haiesha Mistry, Jamie Lomas and Ross Adams.
Stephanie took to Instagram earlier this month to share her first thoughts and sadness over her exit "I can’t believe I am writing this and I have taken the last two weeks to process and come to terms with the shock of what I am about to say", she'd then penned, adding: "I am heartbroken to announce that my character of Cindy has been included in the actors reduction of Hollyoaks."
Performers union Equity spoke about the decision, sharing hope that Hollyoaks remains on air, despite its reduced number of episodes. A representative for the organisation said: "Continuing drama is an incubator for talent, training both in-front and behind camera practitioners, which in turn makes for a highly skilled production landscape benefitting the entire film and TV industry in the UK."