"The Best Thing I've Ever Done": Sarah Jayne Dunn On Reclaiming Her Power, Confidence and Sexuality After Hollyoaks

The former Hollyoaks star joins FUBAR’s What the Health?! for an honest conversation about body image, sexuality, confidence, fitness and challenging expectations of women over 40

Actress, content creator and fitness instructor Sarah Jayne Dunn joins FUBAR Radio’s What the Health for an open and candid conversation with host Claira Hermet about confidence, body image, identity, sexuality and what it means to take control of your own life.

Best known for playing Mandy Richardson in Hollyoaks for over 25 years, Dunn reflects on beginning her acting career at just 14 and growing up in the public eye, explaining how years of being scrutinised and judged influenced the way she saw herself.

Now nearly 45, Dunn talks openly about the pivotal moment she felt she had truly found her voice and identity.

“I turned from girl to woman when I turned 40, and I found this voice that I'd never had.”

In the interview, Dunn discusses her decision in 2021 to launch an OnlyFans account and her desire to have greater control over her image, finances and working life. The decision ultimately contributed to her departure from Hollyoaks, but Dunn says the experience led her towards a new chapter and opportunities she would not otherwise have experienced.

She also reflects on the reaction to her decision and the wider conversation around women taking ownership of their bodies and sexuality.

“The second we do that, and the second we wear what we want, and the second we do own our power, then there's judgement, and then there's backlash,” Dunn says.

A key focus of the conversation is confidence – and whether confidence is something you have or something you can develop.

Dunn explains that some of her biggest personal breakthroughs came from deliberately putting herself into situations that initially frightened her, including taking her first pole fitness class in her early 40s.

“I think you get confident by doing the scary things.”

She also discusses finding forms of exercise that bring enjoyment rather than focusing solely on appearance, describing the benefits of feeling physically stronger, sleeping better and having more energy.

The conversation turns to the representation of women over 40 and the expectations that can accompany aging and motherhood.

Dunn says she wants to provide the kind of representation for younger women that she herself feels was missing when she was growing up.

“I want to be that representation for younger women.”

She challenges the idea that turning 40 or becoming a mother should limit a woman's ambitions, sexuality, career or sense of identity, arguing instead for greater freedom around the different ways women can choose to live their lives.

For Dunn, that message is closely connected to the online community she has built since leaving Hollyoaks. She describes the difference between connecting with an audience as herself rather than through a fictional character, and the importance of being able to share her own thoughts and opinions openly.

The interview also covers social media, judgement, friendship, body image and practical ways people can begin rebuilding their confidence – including taking small steps outside their comfort zone and learning to say no without feeling the need to justify themselves.

Sarah Jayne Dunn's appearance on What the Health?! is a conversation about reinvention, self-acceptance and finding the confidence to take up space at every stage of life.

Listen to Sarah Jayne Dunn on What the Health, exclusively on FUBAR Radio.