I'm a former Hollyoaks star but I quit soap to be a ROOFER – I hate when people recognise me | The Sun
A FORMER Hollyoaks star who quit the soap to become a roofer says he hates when people recognise him.
Alfie Browne-Sykes, who played Jason Roscoe for three years on the hit show, said that the pandemic made it particularly difficult to pursue acting roles.
And he said that people recognising him at his new roofing job was a "hard thing to deal with at first".
Alfie told the Joseph James's Just Real podcast: "Going to work every day, working on people’s roofs and them recognising you from Hollyoaks is a hard thing to deal with at first – especially when they make comments and don’t realise what they are saying to you."
After leaving the Channel 4 programme in 2016, Alfie struggled with anxiety and panic attacks as he felt the pressure of trying to land another acting job.
The keen boxer was hungry for roles with more intensity.
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He landed a part in Tracy Beaker spin-off Dumping Ground in 2017 followed by a theatre tour of Sebastian Faulks' war drama Birdsong.
But when the work dried up Alfie's mental health issues began, and he "lost all sense of direction".
He urged people to talk about their issues and to write them down, saying that he found it "uplifting".
Talking about his career ambitions, he said: "I'm just trying to crack on with my acting, trying to pursue that career. It's a lot tougher than people think. It's a lot of waiting for the right opportunities to pop, especially with all the sh*t at the minute."
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Alfie praised his Hollyoaks body dysmorphia storyline, which shone a spotlight on the condition that sees sufferers have a distorted view of themselves.
His character gradually became more and more paranoid about his body image and desperately wanted to bulk up.
It comes as another former Hollyoaks star claimed he "can't get a job" despite being a well-known face on British telly.
Meanwhile TV presenter Vernon Kay shocked fans as he reunited two of Hollyoaks 90s favourites in a brand new snap.
Vernon shared the image on Instagram as he enjoyed a reunion with the soap actors.
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