Hollyoaks star Jeremy Edwards admits he ‘can't get a job’ after quitting soap

14 March 2023, 12:35 | Updated: 14 March 2023, 12:39

By Naomi Bartram

@naomibartram

Actor Jeremy Edwards has said he won't be appearing on EastEnders because he 'can't get a job' after quitting Hollyoaks.

Former Hollyoaks star Jeremy Edwards has said he has found it difficult to get a job after leaving the soap back in the 90s.

The soap actor shot to fame when he heartthrob Kurt Benson Edwards played Kurt Benson in the Channel 4 drama from 1995 to 1999.

He then went on to star in the medical drama Holby City, in which he played Danny Shaughnessy from 1999 to 2003 before returning to Hollyoaks briefly in 2020.

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But after rumours circulated that he could be joining EastEnders, Jeremy said on Twitter: "I’d like to confirm I will NOT be on the @bbc today. Or @itv. Or @Channel4, @channel5_tv or @SkyUK. Purely cos I can’t get a job. No other reason.”

Adding a crying laughing face, he continued: "I’ve never even had an audition for [EastEnders]. I’d love to be a baddie…. Been the nice guy for too long (Obvs I’m delightful in real life!) x".

Jeremy added: "I could stay at home so I could be with the kids. Not sure I could stay away from the farm for [Emmerdale] life is too short. Priorities x".

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He also joked about someone putting him forward to star on I'm A Celebrity later this year, adding: "So I can be a celeb again".

Fans were quick to comment on the post, with one joking: "How are you at making tea? You can have my job - it’s 24/7 (8 days a week) for £69.70 a week."

Another wrote: "My son has a minimal YouTube channel about Minecraft if you're interested."

A third added: "Magic Boys Benidorm maybe looking for a new member and the weather is better. 25 degrees here today."

Aside from his time on Hollyoaks, Jeremy took part in Celebrity Big Brother in January 2005, where he finished in fourth place, and also appeared on Lily Savage's Blankety Blank.

Trying out a new career path, the actor also tried his hand at singing when he competed on Celebrity X Factor with Brendan Cole.

In the star's personal life, Jeremy famously dated S Club 7 star Rachel Stevens and the pair got engaged in 2002, but the couple broke up in late 2003.

Speaking in 2021, Jeremy shared his regret of turning down £2million for photos of their relationship.

Speaking during an interview, he admitted: "We were offered stupid amounts of money, £2 million, to sell our wedding photos, honeymoon photos and our first born, and I turned it down. I just thought, 'This is ridiculous'.

"I wish I'd done it. I could've made a s***load of money and had a bit more privacy. I'd be living in The Bahamas or something." He said: "Rachel knows this. The attention was the destruction of our relationship.

"Both Rachel and I have agreed that the pressure was so much when we got engaged. We could not go anywhere. I kid you not, we'd go on a holiday, and there would be helicopter circling with people trying to take photos of us by the pool."

Last year, Jeremy became a dad for the second time at the age of 50 after an IVF battle with his wife Lydia. They are now the parents to son Theodore Huckleberry and daughter Scarlett, five.