Hollyoaks and Emmerdale star James Sutton has revealed he's joined OnlyFans, insisting it's the 'natural next step' in his career. 

The actor follows in the footsteps of Sarah Jayne Dunn, who played Mandy Richardson on and off since 1996, was axed by show bosses after she refused to leave the raunchy site. 

Sarah Jayne was reported to have made £1.5million from her time on the site, where she sold images of herself in often racy outfits to her paying subscribers. 

Now James, 43, who is best known for playing John Paul McQueen on Hollyoaks and Ryan Lamb on Emmerdale, is the latest soap star to turn to work on the site. 

However, his content will greatly differ from that of Sarah Jayne, instead sharing insights on his daily life, including his daily gym routines through to his work as a writer and keynote speaker.

Since he left his soap roles in February, waving goodbye to Hollyoaks after two decades following his departure from Emmerdale in 2011, James has launched his own platform, Protocol, a self-help guide. 

The actor has long been showcasing his body transformation and fitness regimes on Instagram, often stripping off to reveal his figure on another subscription-paid site, subs.com.

His OnlyFans page promises to give subscribers 'unfiltered access to his training sessions, programming breakdowns, physical changes, and the reality of maintaining a strong body in your forties'. 

⁠A teaser for what fans can expect details: 'James will also use the platform to continue conversations around men’s wellbeing and fitness, building on themes from his podcast Male Mind Matters, and bringing honest, personal content to an audience that already engages with his work on identity, self-trust, and what it means to look after yourself properly.'

James said of joining the platform: 'OnlyFans felt like a natural next step for me. 

'It gives me the freedom to share more of who I am beyond the characters I once played and to connect with those fans that have supported me throughout my career.'

The actor will also feature on an upcoming TV show on OnlyFans' safe-for-work platform, streaming service OFTV, with further details yet to be revealed. 

He follows in the footsteps of a number of stars who have joined the site, as well as TV shows including House of Sims, starring former TOWIE cast member Chloe Sims. 

It comes after former Hollyoaks star Sarah Jayne took to Instagram to ask for acting work, five years after she was sacked from the E4 soap for her OnlyFans career.

Sarah, 44, who has also been working as a pole dancing instructor, said she was now keen to return to acting as she opened up to fans. 

Taking to her Instagram she posted a snap of herself in Hollyoaks with the words: : 'I haven't been on screen in over 4 years, but that doesn't mean I stopped wanting it.'

She added alongside a new acting headshot: 'But now? I'm a woman in my mid-40s trying to find my way back. 

'Not because I ever stopped loving it.. but because somewhere along the way, life shifted, and my priorities changed, and time just moved on.

'And suddenly… the thing that once felt like me felt further away. But here's the truth I can't ignore anymore, I still have that pull, that desire, that voice saying, 'you're not done yet.

'And if I'm honest.. it's equal parts EXCITING and TERRIFYING to admit that out loud, because this industry moves fast, and stepping back into it as a woman in her 40s? That takes a different kind of confidence.

'But maybe it also brings something more… experience, depth and stories that couldn't have been told before. So this is me.. Showing up again as an actress – and not who I was, but who I am now.

'If you're casting, creating or reading this… I'm here. And if you're ever felt the pull to return to something you love, go for it! And suddenly… the thing that once felt like me felt further away.

'But here's the truth I can't ignore anymore, I still have that pull, that desire, that voice saying: "You're not done yet". And if I'm honest.. it's equal parts EXCITING and TERRIFYING to admit that out loud.

'Because this industry moves fast, and stepping back into it as a woman in her 40s? That takes a different kind of confidence.

'But maybe it also brings something more… experience, depth and stories that couldn't have been told before. So this is me.. Showing up again as an actress – and not who I was, but who I am now.

'Scared, excited, unsure, but I think I’m ready.'

Last year, Sarah reportedly claimed OnlyFans was 'safer' than working on Hollyoaks.

She said she now feels more in control after previously being the victim of a terrifying stalker ordeal that saw her bombarded with 'disturbing' messages, that show bosses were unable to do anything about.

She told The Sun: '[OnlyFans] has actually been a much safer space than the likes of Instagram or TikTok or any of the other platforms that I use and that I am active on'.

'I was getting horrendous messages on Instagram through an account, really disturbing that I went to Hollyoaks with and I contacted the police about. But they don't do anything and they can't do anything. And that's terrifying.'

Sarah continued: 'I went to Hollyoaks and it was a case of "right, just send us what he sent you'" And then I went to the police and there's not much they can do, it's really scary actually.'

She went on to explain how messages sent to her on OnlyFans, unlike other social media sites, are pixilated and she can now choose whether to look at them or not. 

Sarah slammed bosses for 'blatant hypocrisy' after being 'sexualised' through calendar shoots on the soap.

She also revealed trolls furiously branded her 'cheap' for joining OnlyFans, but insists she 'wished she'd done it sooner.'

Speaking to The Sun for their Shamed YouTube series, Sarah revealed she was branded 'embarrassing' by trolls for setting up an OnlyFans account.

She said: 'I'd been sexualised and been made an object of sexual desire for my entire adult life.

'To then be told I couldn't do it on my own terms? That was really the bit that stung because it just didn't make sense to me.'