Ela-May Demircan has quit 'Hollyoaks' after 13 years.
Ela-May Demircan has quit Hollyoaks
The 18-year-old actress has played the role of Leah Barnes on the Channel 4 soap opera since she was a child but now it is thought that the TV star is keen to move onto pastures new.
A source told The Sun: "Ela-May has loved her time on the soap but it’s time to move on.
“She’s hugely talented and can’t wait to play new roles after so long playing Leah.”
Leah was born in 2007 as the daughter of established characters Amy Barnes (Ashley Slanina-Davies) and Billy Parker (Daniel Jillings) but following the murder of her mother in 2017, she was left in the care of Amy's former partner Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson).
Over the years, her storylines have included being kidnapped by her grandmother Kathy (Sarah Jane Buckley) when she was a small child and in more recent years becoming the victim of bullying at the hands of dance teacher Trish Minniver (Denise Welch).
News of Ela's departure comes just months after Stephanie Waring - who has played Cindy Cunningham since the early days of the soap opera - announced that she had been axed and was shocked at the news because she had been in the part for so long.
At the time, she wrote on Instagram: "I am heartbroken to announce that my character of Cindy has been included in the actors reduction of Hollyoaks. As an actress obviously I understand there are no jobs for life but with my 28 years on the show I hoped that Cindy would survive the exciting revamp and continue into its new era, especially as I began playing her in 1996, making me the only original cast member remaining to be included in the cast cull, which I can only describe as gutting."
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