Ex-Hollyoaks and Celebrity Big Brother star dies aged 46

Former Hollyoaks actor Paul Danan, who was also known for reality TV shows such as Celebrity Love Island and Celebrity Big Brother, has died aged 46.

Danan’s management company announced the news on Thursday, saying he was “known for his television presence, exceptional talent and unwavering kindness” and had been “a beacon of light to so many”.

Paying tribute, former EastEnders actor Michael Greco remembered him as “a genuine and caring man”.

Calum Best, who fronted an ITV2 series with Danan in 2006, hailed him as “one of the funniest, kindest and most genuine people” he has ever known and a “creative genius”.

Danan’s cause of death has not been released.

The actor was due to appear at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on Thursday charged with possessing several bags of cocaine and a “quantity” of cannabis, PA Media news agency reported.

He had also been charged last October with driving while under the influence of drugs in the Cheshire town.

In a statement, Independent Creative Management said: “His untimely departure will leave irreplaceable voids in the lives of all who knew him.”

Danan appeared with Bedst in the ITV2 travelogue Calum, Fran and Dangerous Danan. “Life wasn’t always easy for him,” Best said. “But he faced it with such heart and courage, and that inspired so many of us.”

TV presenter Hayley Palmer also paid tribute, posting a picture of them together with the message: “I’m in absolute bits. Love you forever @pauldanan.”

She added: “Paul was a one-of-a-kind character, he was sooo funny! We were good friends and did a radio show on Love Sport Radio together and I fell off my chair laughing!”

Actor Adam Deacon wrote that he had “just heard the devastating news of the tragic death of Paul Danan”.

“I had the pleasure of working with him and he was a genuinely kind and compassionate person,” he added.

EastEnders actor Dean Gaffney added his tribute on Instagram, writing: “You had your demons but my god you had a heart of gold, RIP Mr Paul Danan.”

Born and raised in Essex, Danan had bit parts in EastEnders as a child, then attended London’s Italia Conti drama school before joining Hollyoaks aged 19 in 1997.

His character Sol Patrick was a tearaway and a fan favorite – and something of a heartthrob – on the soap.

Danan asked to leave the show four years later and Sol was last seen fleeing the village with Jess Holt.

He moved to Los Angeles where he spent three and a half years trying to build a career.

“But I tried to party and do well, and you can’t be a Hollywood star if you party too,” he told BBC Radio Bristol last year.

“I was young, I was 22, 23, and I came back very thin with a tan, but without a job. So I came back and… suddenly there was reality TV, so I thought, I have to do this and earn the money.”

Danan’s other work included his podcast The Morning After With Paul Danan, which ran from 2019 to 2023.

Television appearances included E4’s Celebrity Coach Trip and Channel 4 sketch comedy program The Kevin Bishop Show. The actor had also said he would like to return to Hollyoaks.

He told Whatsonstage in 2018 that the show “was the biggest foundation of learning for me”.

“It made me a better actor. I had so much fun, but being in a soap is one of the hardest jobs in acting.”

He also discussed the difficulty of finding acting work.

“It’s been hard to get the industry to take me seriously as an actor. They see me as Paul from Celebrity Love Island or Celebrity Big Brother. I just think I’m versatile.”

Danan appeared on Celebrity Love Island in 2005 and returned in 2006.

On Celebrity Big Brother in 2017, he was voted out in fifth place and said he was “gutted” by his departure, but he left viewers with some memorable moments, including pressing the fire alarm button instead of in the diary room.

At the height of his fame, Danan was something of a fixture in the tabloid press, pictured at various celebrity parties and events.

His name was used for Dananagram, a parody Instagram account that spoofed 90s and 00s celebrities, and he later told BBC Radio 5 Live he had teamed up with the people behind it.

The account posts retro photos of celebrities – allegedly from Danan’s old camera – and has more than 85,000 followers.

The account posted a tribute to Danan on Thursday. “For 6+ years we considered him a close friend and creative partner,” it said.

“We had many plans together to grow this page beyond an Instagram account – we have lost a truly special, kind and funny person.”

In 2020, Danan launched drama classes in Bristol, his adopted home, for adults with mental health or addiction problems, or who have been through trauma or been in prison.

“It’s been amazing, and honestly, I’ve changed people’s lives,” Danan said.

Last year, the actor talked about his own health problems after he ended up in intensive care with pneumonia.

He told the Sun on Sunday that hospital staff had told him to stop smoking in any form. After giving up cigarettes for the past few years, Danan said he had become “obsessed” with disposable vapes.

He has also discussed past problems with drugs, including addictions to cocaine and codeine, which he used to “sooth himself out” after losing acting in his 20s while in the US.

He also said he had spent more than £1 million on rehab over the years and had once overdosed on heroin.