Hollyoaks star Sophie Porley has opened up about her decision to step back from the world of acting (Image: sophieporley/Instagram)Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxMore Newsletters SubscribePlease enter a valid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.More NewslettersWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More infoThank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow me See OurPrivacy Notice See OurPrivacy Notice×Group 28 Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxInvalid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.Sign UpNo thanks, closeWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info×Group 28Thank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow MeNo thanks, closeSee our
Privacy NoticeA former Hollyoaks actress has bravely opened up about her decision to step away from acting after suffering from severe panic attacks. Sophie Porley, who played Ellie Nightingale on the popular Channel 4 soap, has revealed that she found herself overwhelmed by the intense pressure to secure another acting gig post-Hollyoaks. The 31 year old star, who graced our screens for three years until her departure in 2018, faced a daunting realisation that she couldn’t handle the spotlight’s demands. In a candid revelation, Sophie shared that she hasn’t gone for an acting audition in years following a particularly frightening episode at a train station that left her struggling to breathe.
Sophie Porley played Ellie Nightingale on Hollyoaks from 2015 to 2018
(Image: Lime Pictures)
Speaking on The Muse podcast, Sophie explained that she hadn’t initially planned on working in social media following the show, and had wanted to keep up with acting following her appearance on Hollyoaks. “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,” she explained.
Sophie has opened up about the pressure she felt to find another acting job
(Image: sophieporley/Instagram)
She went on to describe a particularly distressing moment which occurred during a visit to her agent. “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”, she said, reports the Mirror. Sophie also revealed the intense pressure she felt to land another acting gig led her to a breaking point at a train station. “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,” she continued.
Sophie reveals she had a panic attack while recording an audition
(Image: @sophieporley/Instagram)
During the interview, the former soap star added that while she’s not closed the door on acting completely, and that she has thought about pursuing it from time to time, she’s content even if she doesn’t return to the profession. And when asked about whether she’s make a return to Hollyoaks, Sophie kept things open as she said “never say never”, though explained that at the moment she didn’t have any plans to return to the soap.Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnHollyoaks
