What went wrong for Sarah Jayne Dunn? Pals reveal soap star’s pain as friends and TV bosses shun her after X-rated pics
SHE was famously axed from one of the country’s biggest soaps after joining OnlyFans – and within weeks was among its top creators, earning hundreds of thousands from her racy snaps.
But Sarah Jayne Dunn‘s X-rated spark has fizzled out, according to pals who say the former Hollyoaks star – who faced accusations she was promoting “pornography” last week – has been left out in the cold. Now, The Sun can reveal things have gone from bad to worse.
An insider told us: “There was a lot of fanfare when Sarah left the soap, and she made a big thing about why it was important to be on OnlyFans.
“It might look plain sailing, but it’s a real slog and actually very isolating. She knows people look at her at the school gates, and you only have to look online to see people’s disgust about what she does.”
Sarah, 44, has raked in some serious cash since she was sacked from Hollyoaks in 2021 after joining OnlyFans.
It’s a bit of a rabbit hole once you get started and pals are worried how far it will go
She made a whopping £121,000 in just 48 hours after her OnlyFans subscribers doubled overnight when she went public about her new career.
Fans pay just over £11 per month to see Sarah strip off, and her posts have been liked more than 455,000 times since she joined the site four years ago this month. Her subscription numbers are no longer visible to fans.
But as the months have worn on, Sarah has had to deal with lewd, vulgar and creepy comments from her desperate subscribers, who constantly plead with her to flash more flesh.
In the last two weeks alone, her OnlyFans snaps have been littered with explicit remarks, piling on the pressure for even racier content – raising questions about what Sarah’s future on the site will look like.
Our insider continued: “Subscribers have naturally gone down, so Sarah has been working hard to produce more and more racy content. It’s a bit of a rabbit hole once you get started, and those who are still close to her are worried about how far it will go.
“Her son is getting older now, and it can’t be easy for him seeing her pictures and the headlines.”
Sarah has a nine-year-old son, Stanley, with her personal trainer husband, Jonathan Smith.
While she has previously shared a picture of Stan taking over her £20k pole-dancing room, which she had built in her garden, to play his video games, the ex-Oaks star tries to be careful around the youngster when it comes to her day job – because he is becoming “really inquisitive”.
She said last month: “He’s getting to that age where he’s really inquisitive about everything.
“I was sat in the bedroom the other morning doing my make-up, and he comes into the bedroom and goes, ‘Mum, what is p***y?’ I was racking my brain, going, ‘Oh my God, what has he seen?’ I’ve got this book next to my make-up mirror called P***y.”
Sarah – who played Hollyoaks’ Mandy Richardson from 1996 to 2021 – has made no secret of wanting to maintain her wealth and has recently trained as a pole dancing teacher to boost her income.
But she was left embarrassed and fuming after her fitness pole dancing class was banned by a Cheshire venue last week and labelled “borderline pornographic”.
It was the latest blow for the star who has struggled to land TV work and has lost two of her closest friends in her bid to become a top content creator.
Showbiz bust-up
We can reveal she is no longer speaking to Stephanie Waring, who played her onscreen sister, following her fallout with glamour model Rhian Sugden.
Raised eyebrows over her lifestyle choice is not something new for Sarah, who recently admitted she has constantly faced accusations she is baring all on OnlyFans.
She recently said: “Whenever I get stick, it’s because of people going, ‘Well, you’re getting your fl**s out,’ and I’m like, ‘I’m actually not, thank you very much.’
“People just associate the platform with porn. That’s fine, because the platform does have that content, but it doesn’t mean everyone on there is doing that.”
Hollyoaks bosses clearly had a similar view, and we can reveal that since joining OnlyFans, Sarah has had a bust-up with her former co-star Stephanie Waring.
An insider told us: “Sarah and Steph were always very close, but when Sarah started posting online, things between them started to change.
“They have barely spoken since, and Sarah definitely didn’t rush to support her when she was axed from the show last year.
“They don’t even follow each other anymore. It’s very sad it’s come to this.”
Steph has previously said she wouldn’t dream of using her body to make money – unlike Sarah.
Sarah is convinced Steph is one of the people who grassed her up to Hollyoaks bosses
An Insider
She told the Secure The Insecure podcast: “I don’t think I could ever sexualise myself in that way.
“I’m nearly 50 and I just don’t think that’s my angle… never say never, though. People change all the time.”
One of Sarah’s post-Hollyoaks ventures saw her co-host podcast Hot and Bothered alongside Page 3 legend Rhian Sugden, in which the pair discussed everything from sex toys to fetishes.
Sarah and Rhian even took part in a joint lingerie-clad photoshoot to promote their sex podcast – but the pair have since fallen out.
Rhian claimed she had been dropped from the joint podcast, despite reportedly investing thousands in it, and the pair are no longer thought to be on speaking terms.
In 2023, a friend close to the pair said: “Rhian reached out to Sarah after the whole Hollyoaks sacking drama, and she became a real source of support for her.
“They went in on the podcast together and had loads of fun making it – and had loads of listeners.
“It came as a real shock to everyone when Sarah just cut her out. There’s been no contact since, and it’s all very sad.”
Big show dreams
Sarah has also been left hanging by I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and Strictly Come Dancing bosses.
Last weekend, she made it clear to her OnlyFans followers how much she wants to land a spot on her dream show – Strictly.
She posted a picture wearing a see-through red bra with sequins, with her nipples clearly visible, and asked her followers: “Who’d like to see me on Strictly?!”
Sarah received just one response. The follower wrote: “People would [black love heart emoji] to see you on Strictly!”
The star also has her heart set on appearing in I’m A Celebrity, which is filmed in the Australian jungle.
A source told us: “Sarah has made no secret of the fact she would love to head into the jungle, or on the Strictly ballroom, but neither shows have come calling yet.
“They are dream paydays for most out-of-work actors and content creators, and she is desperate to appear on one.”
Another pal close to Sarah insisted: “Sarah is under no pressure around her OnlyFans work, she is able to be fully in control of her life, work as and when she wants, and it’s afforded her numerous wonderful opportunities.
“With regards to any mention of a fall out with friends, there is certainly no falling out from Sarah’s side, so this is news to her. Sarah is a huge fan of Strictly Come Dancing, so naturally would love to be on the show!”
It doesn’t look like BBC bosses will be calling her to swap pole dancing for the ballroom just yet, so for now, Sarah may have to stick to the sexy snaps.
