Hollyoaks legend quits acting and retrains as a mortgage broker after Channel 4 soap exit

Former Hollyoaks star Sinead Moynihan was a household name back when her character on the hit soap was part of a huge storyline that gripped viewers in the UK.

However, following her stint on the show the actress decided to turn her back on the world of showbiz and embark on an entirely different career altogether. Sinead, 42, starred as Beth Clement on the popular Channel 4 soap back in 2007.

The character caused shockwaves with viewers when she became embroiled in a shocking incestuous relationship with her half-brother Rhys. Sinead found herself becoming a household name after the storyline made headlines and saw her rocket to the dizzy heights of fame.

However, Sinead soon turned her back on the showbiz world and instead opted to raise her family as a mum of two boys and carve out a very different career for herself. Making the move to the financial sector Sinead is now working as a mortgage broker.

The former model and soap star was recruited by a company called Asstez Capital- which is known as one of the ‘UK’s leading property finance lenders” where Sinead works as a Relationship Director. When Beth was killed in a car crash on Hollyoaks in 2008 despite her popularity thanks to her gritty storylines Sinead struggled to secure further acting work.

The competitive and cutthroat industry saw her battling to secure roles and continue her career as an actress. Sinead was a model from the age of 16 until she was 24 when she was cast in BBC Three drama Drop Dead Gorgeous. Following on from that role she landed the part of Beth in Hollyoaks where she remained until the character met her grisly end in 2008. She then headed back to BBC 3 for a part in sitcom How Not to Live your Life for a brief stint.

Following that part Sinead booked a few adverts and continued to struggle to find acting roles with the work eventually drying up completely. She then decided to focus on her life being a mother having welcomed two children in her 20s, her sons Dylan, 21 and Jacob, 15.

Sinead is just one of may stars to quit acting after starring in Hollyoaks over the years. Sophie Porley - known as Ellie Nightingale on the show - recently opened up about how she 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.

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."

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

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