Hollyoaks star Sarah Jane Dunn has been sacked by Channel 4 for refusing to quit stripping on OnlyFans.

The actress has lost out on her £120,000 per year job for “taking back control".

Dunn has portrayed her character Mandy Richardson for over two decades, first appearing in the Channel 4 soap in 1996.

Explaining her decision to sign up to the controversial site, she said: “I'm simply moving my sexier, racier images to another platform.

“This is a decision I’ve thought long and hard about, not one I’ve taken lightly or on a whim, it’s about taking back control, about empowerment and confidence and having full power over my choices.

"I love doing photo shoots, always have always will, it’s how I got into the acting industry, at the tender age of 12 I decided I wanted to be a model and enrolled on a modelling course, joined an agency and had my first professional shoot and I was hooked. I got my first TV audition and the rest is history.

"I’ve been lucky enough to travel to some pretty amazing places for photoshoots since being 17, that being said I’ve never felt in control, of the content or of the finances.”

Channel 4 explain reason for sacking Sarah Jane Dunn

Hollyoaks said: “Hollyoaks is a youth-facing drama with many young viewers, who follow our cast very closely, both in the soap and outside of it.

“We take our responsibility to our young audience very seriously and therefore the show does not allow any Hollyoaks cast members to be active on certain 18+ websites.”

They added: “We had hoped we could reach a resolution with Sarah that would allow her to remain in her role as Mandy, but we respect her choice to continue to produce content on OnlyFans.

“In the past four years since her return to the show her legacy character has been an integral part of some our most important storylines and we will be very sad to see her go.”