Paul Danan's tragic regret that saw him spiral from Hollyoaks fame to retail job
Paul Danan, who starred as Sol Patrick in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, spoke out about the devastating impact his reality fame had on his acting career after appearing in Love Island
Paul Danan made a name for himself after starring in the original Love Island, but it had a knock-on effect on his career.
The Hollyoaks star, whose inquest is today, tragically died at the age of 46 on January 15. A statement by his management read: "It is with heavy hearts that we share the tragic news of the passing of @pauldanan at just 46 years old. Known for his television presence, exceptional talent, and unwavering kindness, Paul was a beacon of light to so many.
"His untimely departure will leave irreplaceable voids in the lives of all who knew him. During this difficult time, we kindly request respect and privacy for Paul's family, friends, and colleagues. No further comments will be made at this time." The actor rose to fame playing Sol Patrick in the Channel 4 soap between 1997 and 2001.
As he tried to carve a new identity away from the soap, Paul went on to appear on reality TV shows Celebrity Love Island and Celebrity Big Brother. In 2005, he was an islander alongside the likes of Calum Best and Rebecca Loos. The series was won by Jayne Middlemiss and Fran Cosgrave. But while it did well for some stars, it only set Paul back in acting.
While on an episode of the Dozen podcast in November 2024, he reflected on his career choices. Speaking about life after being in the villa, he said: "I've never known fame like it. I've never seen people go so mental. Four years on a soap opera - that was nothing compared to these six weeks [in terms] of the stature of fame."
Host Liam Tuffs asked: "So Love Island was the one that skyrocketed you into fame?" Paul, who returned for the second series in 2006, said: "Like ridiculously." He said that it was "mental" that he was on the cover of magazines and said it became "too much," saying that he hadn't ever wanted to be famous. He added: "I just want to be respected as an actor."
But he realised that reality TV success was not beneficial for his dreams of acting in Hollywood. He said: "It didn't help with my acting career because suddenly people were like 'Oh, we don't want to hire a reality star!'
"Casting directors were a bit snobby like that, they don't people want to see me on a TV show thinking 'Isn't that the guy from Love Island?' It wasn't good for my acting career and it took a long time to get that back. I don't know if it's even fully redeemed even all these years later."
According to the star, back in 2005 through to 2007, actors who appeared on reality TV shows were seen in a bad light, instead of remembering their career in films, theatre and soaps. And this led to him seeking out work outside of the industry in order to make ends meet. He even worked at a phone repair shop as well as retail clothing stores.
He said: "I worked in a place called I Smashed It, which is where if you if you drop your iPhone or your phone and the screen smashes, then we'll fix the screen for you. I was working there for a bit, probably about 10 years ago. And that was just to get a bit of money on the side." Paul added: "I probably didn't want to do a reality show did I? I should have just stuck to my acting."
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