Dawn Hope to leave regular role on Hollyoaks

Dawn Hope has quit her role as Pearl Anderson on Hollyoaks after five years with the soap.

The character made her debut in the village in 2021 as the mother of Sharon Bailey (Jamelia) and a long-time friend of the Devereaux family, all of whom have since been written out.

Pearl subsequently got into a relationship with legend Jack Osborne (Jimmy McKenna) and – save for some difficulties last year – they have emerged as one of the soap’s most solid pairings.

According to The Sun, Hope decided last year to leave the show in order to return to the West End but executives offered her the chance to remain on board in a non-regular role.

“Dawn loves being on the show but the pull of being back on the stage has become too strong,” a source told the newspaper. “She’s a legend in the West End and wants to go back to the stage.

“She told bosses last year about her plans well in advance so they could craft her a huge exit but instead they surprised her and offered her the option of staying as a guest star.

“It means Dawn can go off and take whatever projects she wants but the door is well and truly open.

“The way it will work going forward is if the show wants her and she has free time then she will appear – but with such a full on schedule it won’t be for a while.”

Hope is expected to film her final scenes – for now – next month, meaning that her exit is likely to play out on screen in late Autumn.