Hollyoaks' Sarah Jayne Dunn forced to take break from soap after son is hospitalised

Hollyoaks
(Image credit: Jeff Spicer)

Actress Sarah Jayne Dunn announced she would be taking a break from the popular soap, after her son fell ill and ended up being hospitalised.

Sarah told fans on Instagram that she was focusing on being there for her son whilst he recovered, and that she’d be leaving Hollyoaks character Mandy Richardson behind for a while.

In her caption she wrote, ‘I’ve had the most emotionally draining & stressful week of my life.

‘I can’t wait for my little man to be back to full health first & foremost.

‘Then I can’t wait to be back on set doing a job that I love & working with people that make me smile.’

A photo posted by on

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Alongside her caption, she shared a photo of herself and co-star Stephanie Waring who plays Cindy Cunningham on the set of Hollyoaks smiling at the camera.

She added: ‘Love ya @stephwaring. Fingers crossed it won’t be much longer before I’m back 💗’

Steph shared words of support for Sarah, writing, ‘Feel like I've lost an arm .. missing you lots ❤️ xxxx’

Sarah has chosen not to disclose why her son was hospitalised, instead simply referring to it as an ‘illness’.

A photo posted by on

Sarah often shares photos of her son Stanley, who she shares with husband Jonathan Smith. Recently she shared a photo of Stanley's bee drawing that he made to remember the lives that were sadly lost during the Manchester attack. The Manchester bee is a significant symbol for the city, becoming popular during the Industrial Revolution.

It seems Sarah is rightfully proud of her little boy, and we really hope he's feeling better soon!

Many fans have left messages of support for the star during this difficult time.

One wrote, ‘Get well soon Stanley xx’

Another said, ‘Thoughts with you, hope he gets better soon.’

Hollyoaks co-star Harvey Virdi, who plays Misbah Maalik added, ‘Sending you so much love ❤️❤️’.

It's not yet known when Sarah will be returning to our screens, but we hope little Stanley gets better soon.

Lucy Buglass
Digital Writer

Lucy Buglass is a Digital Writer for What's on TV, Goodto.com, and Woman&Home. After finishing her degree in Film Studies at Oxford Brookes University she moved to London to begin her career. She's passionate about entertainment and spends most of her free time watching Netflix series, BBC dramas, or going to the cinema to catch the latest film releases.