HOLLYOAKS actor Gregory Finnegan has revealed he burst into tears after being axed from the Channel 4 soap as he slammed bosses for how they handled it.
Gregory (44), who played the popular James Nightingale for nine years, was blown up by a car bomb at the end of today’s dramatic episode.
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Hollyoaks star Gregory Finnegan revealed he burst into tears after being axed from the soapCredit: Getty
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The actor played James Nightingale in the Channel 4 soap for eight years
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, the dad-of-three reveals how he initially kept his composure and even thanked bosses for his time on the show after they told him of their decision back in March.
But since he was on the set of “the walking dead”, while his contract was expiring, he found himself in a series of difficult conversations with the cast and crew.
As news of his axing spread around the building, a conversation with co-star Alex Fletcher, who plays Diane Hutchinson, caused him to “pop” his eyes.
He said: “The news circulated relatively quickly. Someone told the group to go, so I went too.
“People seemed shocked, which was nice in its own way, but at the same time quite depressing when people come up to you and say ‘I can’t believe it, that’s ridiculous’ and you say, okay, I’ve dealt with it.
“Everyone in the cast and crew was very kind. It wasn’t fun walking in knowing you were a dead man walking.
“Lovely Alex Fletcher just stared at me and then she started crying and I started crying. I said, ‘Fletch, you’ve got to stop, because I didn’t cry at all, and that was weeks after it happened, but she just completely broke me, and then I was bawling. But it’s good to get it out. People dealt with it in different ways, many people didn’t say anything for a while because they didn’t know what to say, they kept their jobs.
“There’s no bad feeling, it’s nobody’s fault, the more honest people were, the easier it was for me to deal with.”
Gregory, whose book, The World According to Grog, is published today, added: “It was gradual over a few weeks.
Hollyoaks actor James Nightingale’s real-life wife Gregory Finnegan Ariana Fraval joins the cast as DS Cohen
“I tried to keep it for my family, the stiff upper lip, all that stuff, but gradually it was this wave of sadness, and upset, like I said in my book, it was like a grieving process and I really did go through it. It was hard to come to terms with it.
“You say to yourself, it’s just a job, but you’ve been there for nine years, you’ve made friends, established relationships, these are the people you see more than your family.
“It was like having the rug pulled out from under you. I thought I’d at least make it to the 30th anniversary next year, so when the announcement came I thought, oh my. It was a shock.”
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Actor Gregory was the last remaining Nightingale after his on-screen family fell apart Credit: Lime Pictures
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Lysette Anthony is best known today for her role as Marnie Nightingale in Hollyoaks
He added: “My contract expired at the beginning of August, which was the end of the old era and the start of a new start.
“I shot a big explosion back in June. I shot a few parts in July. They didn’t tell me when my last scene was so I didn’t get to say goodbye to everyone, it wasn’t handled well, but that’s how it is.”
Gregory joined Hollyoaks back in 2015 following the arrival of the rest of the Nightingale family, and his first scenes as scheming gay lawyer James were shown in January 2016.
He’s been involved in some of the soap’s biggest storylines over the years, but following the departure of his on-screen son Romeo, played by bro Owen Warner, 25, earlier this year, he was the last Nightingale left. His movie mother Marnie, played by Lysette Anthony, is killed in an explosion in her cafe in 2022, dad Mac, actor David Easter, is poisoned by serial killer Brad McQueen in 2019, shortly after brother Alfie, played by Richard Linnell, leaves the village.
Ellie’s sister, actress Sophie Porley, already left in 2018 after pushing her dad Mac off a building and leaving him with locked-in syndrome.
And brother Nathan, played by Jared Garfield, fell on his back through a window and died in 2017.
Gregory admitted he thought his character might be in trouble when bosses announced a third of the cast and crew would be cut in March.
From next week, episodes will be broadcast three times a week instead of five, following Channel 4’s brutal cost-cutting measures.
Hollyoaks – Cast Member
HOLLYOAKS beauty Chelsee Healey has dropped the biggest hint yet that she’s been axed from the soap – but what’s going on in the Channel 4 show?
Earlier this year, the Channel 4 soap was forced to deal with axing cast members.
It came after The Sun first reported that Hollyoaks bosses were planning to ax a staggering 20 cast members.
Now Chelsee, who recently took time out from her role as Goldie McQueen to give birth to her second daughter, has now made a mysterious move on X.
The girl from Manchester (36) reposted a picture of her crying character on her page.
It came after Stephanie Waring, known for her 28-year-old role as Cindy Cunningham, confirmed she had been axed from the 20-strong series by soap bosses.
Another big name to drop for good is pop star turned soap opera Jamelia.
Soap regular and TV favorite Owen Warner also left the show due to the cuts, leaving fans heartbroken to say goodbye to his character Romeo Nightingale.
Jamie Lomas has also left the series and will soon leave his role as Warren Fox.
Haiesha Mistry known for her role as Yasmina Maalik also left after seven years.
He said: “It was such a terrible shock to everyone when that first announcement was made, but I knew my head could be on the block. For two reasons, first of all, I didn’t have a story, they had something planned that unfortunately didn’t work out.
“I also had no immediate family on the show, there was no Nightingale!
“We were told that these meetings would come and we went in one by one. It was in a weird part of the building that you never go to, in a tiny little office, and I walked in, head of production and executive producer, she had a piece of paper in front of her and she started reading it.
“I can’t remember exactly what was said, but it was something like, ‘We’re not here to chat, we’re here to read this prepared statement, which they did, and about 15 seconds later, I heard our executive producer Hannah’s voice a little snapped, and her cheeks flushed, so I knew.
“It took a good few minutes to read the paper, I had come to terms with it and I knew what was coming next…..there was no pause, it wasn’t like X-Factor or anything…and then she said, ‘you won’t fit us join after current contract expires.
“I said, thank you for your time, wished them the best and left.”
Gregory filmed his last scenes with the soap back in July, and spent the summer off with his wife Ariana, also an actress, and their three sons, while he finished his book.
He said: “As soon as I knew I was going, they said, we’ll tell everyone he has a brain tumor, he’ll be clear and then we’ll blow him up right away!
“They said the viewers would be very upset.
“No one wants to die on a soap opera, as I said in the book, you never see a dead body and it’s a soap so anything is possible. But at the same time when things are taken out of your hands there is no going back and you can move on.
“I’ve made so many dear friends and moved my family to London to The Wirral, which is wonderful. We really like it here and are very happy. And to have an amazing city like Liverpool on my doorstep, so I can’t imagine going back. Although with this job you never know where you will end up. I made so many friends on Hollyoaks. I loved the team and I really got along with so many actors and if it wasn’t for the series our paths would never have crossed. I will always be grateful for my time on the show. I made peace with everything.”
Earlier this year, Gregory began writing his book, an honest account of his personal life as he navigated the world of acting.
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The actor’s wife also appeared in the series playing the detective who frequently arrested himCredit: E4
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The actor’s final scenes aired today on the streaming soap opera Credit: Lime Pictures
He said: “I started writing it a while ago, I have so many funny and horror stories when I was auditioning and jobs I conspired not to get just because I was nervous or did something incredibly stupid. There are a bunch of those stories in the book, and now I’m going back to that world, it’s going to be very interesting.
“I’m really hoping that someone comes forward with an idea or a script on my desk, something that I’m excited about.”
And on the future of soaps, he said: “Soaps make a difference, it’s a really important medium and it’s a shame where it’s going at the moment, because it offers something unique, especially in the British psyche.
“I’ve had so many people reach out to me over the years, which is always nice to get. The character was abused as a child, and people approached me.
“I tried to point them in the right direction because I’m not the person who can help them, but do what you can.
“It showed we were doing something right.”
Gregory’s book, The World According to Grog, is out now. Readers can buy it by clicking this link https://2f29dd-d1.myshopify.com/
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Source: HIS Education