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Ex Hollyoaks star quit acting after suffering panic attacks trying to secure new role

Sophie Porley found herself in an impossible situation when pursuing her dream of acting led to her suffering terrifying panic attacks due to the pressure

[Sophie Porley]

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Sophie Porley quit acting after suffering panic attacks

A former Hollyoaks star has opened up about how she quit acting due to crippling panic attacks.

Sophie Porley had to call time on her career in TV after she left the hit Channel 4 soap because there was "too much pressure" on her to land another role following her stint playing Ellie Nightingale. The actress, 31, starred on Hollyoaks for three years before she left in 2018 and soon realised she couldn't cope with the pressures of fame.

She now hasn't auditioned for a new role in years after one terrifying incident at a train station left her struggling to breathe. Sophie said: "I hadn't intended to transition to social media stuff when I came off Hollyoaks. My intention was to continue acting."

[Sophie Porley]

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Sophie played Ellie nightingale on the show

[Sophie Porley]

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Sophie hasn't ruled out a return to acting(Image: sophieporley/Instagram)

Speaking on The Muse podcast she added: "I don't know if I've really spoken about this, but I'm not really acting anymore. Because I had a few auditions when I finished Hollyoaks and I think I put so much pressure on myself to go from that to another acting job I felt real pressure."

Sophie then elaborated further as she explained how even a visit to her agent left her having a panic attack. She said: "My agency sent me an audition and there was pages and pages of dialogue to learn. I went into my agency to record the audition, and I put so much pressure on myself I walked out of their building and had a panic attack."

Describing how the heart-wrenching experience made her quit acting she added: "I was in the train station and I literally had to sit on the floor. I couldn't breathe. At that moment, I was like, 'I'm really putting too much pressure on myself to get another acting job,' so I took a step back."

[Sophie Porley]

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The star also described the 'trauma' of having to shave off her hair(Image: sophieporley/Instagram)

Sophie then added that while she hasn't completely ruled out a return to acting, she will still be happy if another job never comes her way. She said: "It's been a few years now, and I've not gone back to it, sometimes I think I should try to pursue it again, but I found the whole thing really overwhelming."

Asked if she would ever return to Hollyoaks, she added: "Never say never, but I don't have any plans to. It's not something on my radar." During her chat on the podcast Sophie also spoke of the "traumatic" moment she was forced to cut her own hair off for a scene against her own will while starring on the show.

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