Hollyoaks plunged into crisis as 'huge star quits soap amid massive cast cull'
Actress Emma Rigby, who originally appeared in Hollyoaks as Hannah Ashworth from 2005 to 2010, has resigned from the soap following her high profile return last year. According to The Sun, Emma has quit after producers decided to drastically reduce the number of cast members and the number of episodes. When Emma returned to the series in November 2023, Hollyoaks aired five nights a week, but now there will be just three 20 minute episodes per week and a reduced cast and crew as 135 staff have lost their jobs.