Hollyoaks star quits after nine years – and his final scenes have already aired
HOLLYOAKS star Rory Douglas-Speed has quit the soap after nine years.
The actor - who plays Joel Dexter - first appeared in 2016 on the Channel 4 soap but has now decided to leave his role to explore other opportunities.
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And in a shock to fans fans, The Sun can exclusively revealed the Rory's final scenes have already aired.
A source said: 'It was a tough decision for him to make to leave, but it's right for the character and for Rory himself.
'He's loved the last nine years and all that has come with Hollyoaks, but he really wants to spread his wings.
'And the time is right. Bosses were very kind and the door has been left open for Joel to return one day so it's not goodbye by any means.'
Fans will no doubt be confused by Joel's exit as it didn't seem like a final goodbye.
Instead the character was questioned for the murder of his brother Tommy, who had in fact, been killed by serial killer Jez Blake.
His final scenes saw him locked up in a prison cell, being warned by DI Banks that he would be spending a few days behind bars while they investigated Tommy's murder.
The Sun understands that these are Rory's final scenes, and he will not feature for a while yet.
However, Hollyoaks boss Hannah Cheers recently revealed that the 30th anniversary for the show in October is set to feature an epic battle between killer Jez and villain Clair Devine.
This means that Jez's many crimes will most likely come to light, which could result in Joel being freed from prison.
'Well, yes, obviously we've got two kind of Hollyoaks titans here,' Hannah said.
'We've got kind of very iconic Hollyoaks faces. And it's not an accident that they are both in the show in the run up to the 30th anniversary.'
Hollyoaks has been approached for comment.
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