Former Hollyoaks star turned OnlyFans creator is proud of what she’s been able to do for her family as a result of her OnlyFans content.

For fans of the British soap Hollyoaks, it was impossible to miss Sarah Jayne Dunn’s exit from the series. She’d been a mainstay in the cast for more than two decades, and then she was suddenly gone. The reason why? She decided she was done letting someone else be in charge of sexualizing her, and took control of her own image on OnlyFans.

Dunn had portrayed the character of Mandy Richardson on Hollyoaks for 25 years beginning in 1996. Producers found out that she was creating content on OnlyFans, and in 2021 she was dismissed when she refused to shut down her page. The ironic factor is that her character had long been sexualized on-screen, with Dunn having to show up to fulfill the demands the written scripts made of her body. By starting an OnlyFans, Dunn didn’t actually change what she was doing—because sharing sexy images of herself online is really more of the same type of content that she was already being filmed doing. However, when Dunn shared images that she captured herself to OnlyFans, she’s the only one who profits off the sexualization of her body, rather than allowing a television network to benefit.

Dunn’s move to OnlyFans was seen by many as a power move that allowed her to have more autonomy over her image and full creative control over the work she was producing. Dunn has repeatedly spoken out about how empowered being able to set her own terms makes her feel, and has emphasized that her OnlyFans journey is about more than just sexy photos. For Dunn, showing up as a content creator on OnlyFans is about reclaiming a space that was always taken from her—demanded of her. Since joining OnlyFans, she’s also taken up pole dancing, which she credits for boosting her confidence and strength. She’s been practicing her new art so diligently that she’s now an instructor for beginners who are just starting out on their pole dancing journey.

Sarah Jayne Dunn isn’t the first content creator who has discovered the sense of financial freedom that OnlyFans has to offer, but that doesn’t make her any less outspoken about how grateful she is to be able to do more for her family with her paycheck. Dunn has confirmed that she makes more on OnlyFans than she did on Hollyoaks, and she’s done so on her own terms—without having to fulfill a contract written on behalf of studio executives hoping to profit off her body. She’s used those earnings to build a custom garden room for her home with more entertainment options for her family, and a built-in pole for her to use for training. OnlyFans has given her more flexibility, more time with her 9-year-old son, and more freedom to say “yes” to the things that matter to her. Being self-employed by OnlyFans also means that she’s been able to accept an offer to be a lingerie ambassador—another pursuit that she’s able to enjoy strictly on her own terms.

As far as life for Dunn post-mainstream media, she hasn’t exactly “disappeared”—she’s just made a platform shift that allows her to have full ownership of her own image. Stepping away from scripted TV has allowed Dunn to enjoy OnlyFans as a vehicle for financial freedom and self-expression. She’s not having to wait for someone else to write a role that fits her; she’s framing her own story and telling it the way she wants to. Dunn’s evolution as a content creator is a study in how leaving mainstream media doesn’t have to mean losing relevance—rather, it can mean being seen on your own terms.

By leaving mainstream media with her departure from Hollyoaks, Sarah Jayne Dunn didn’t suddenly become someone new. She just took control of her own narrative—and her own body—and this time she’s the one who benefits from her time on screen.