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Heartbroken Hollyoaks star Steph Waring reveals co-stars ‘stopped speaking to her' after she was axed with no warning
HEARTBROKEN Hollyoaks star Steph Waring has revealed her co-stars have "stopped speaking to her" after she was axed with no warning.
The actress - who played Cindy Cunningham in the Channel 4 soap - was let go last year, leaving her devastated.
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The much-loved star, 47, was on Hollyoaks for 28 years and was even on the soap from day one.
That's why fans were left shocked when she revealed that she had been given the chop by bosses.
However, in a further blow, Steph has now admitted that she misses the friendships she once had with her fellow cast members.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Secure The Insecure podcast, she said: "I did feel the quiet from the family that I once knew on the show.
"No one's picking up the phone. No one's checking in.
"Everyone's just getting on with their life.
"When you're in that Hollyoaks bubble and they call it a family - I feel you're only family when you're in it."
Steph - who didn't name any of co-stars in particular - added: "You pour your heart out to these people and then you go and it's like it never happened.
"Where did that friendship go? There's only a couple of people I'm in contact with."
Last month, Steph opened up about her heartbreaking reaction on the day bosses told her she would no longer be on Hollyoaks.
'I collapsed on the floor in tears and begged Hollyoaks bosses not to axe me' reveals 'distraught' Steph Waring as she admits co-stars had to 'pick her up'
Writing in her book Breaking the Script, the actress said: 'I walked into the office.
"There were two people there for the meeting: the newly appointed executive producer – a stalwart behind the scenes in various roles for years – and the long-standing head of production, who I'd known since I began on the show back in 1996.
'They asked me to sit. They explained that they'd be reading a scripted statement. As I listened, I could barely process what was being said. I was just waiting for the words I longed to hear: 'And therefore, we'd like Cindy to stay.'
'But as the statement neared its close, before the final words were even spoken, I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I was shaking as I looked at the two of them.
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'Then it happened. 'And with that said, we will be losing Cindy from the show. I'm so sorry, Steph.' The world stopped for a second as I replayed those words in my head. Then… I lost my s***.
''What? No! You mean you're not taking me to the 30th?' I blurted out, referencing the upcoming anniversary of the show – a milestone that meant so much to the long-standing cast.
''I don't understand. No, I don't understand. I don't understand!' I was frantic. 'But I've been so loyal. Please, no. This is my life. I love my job – please, no!'
'Hysterically crying, I repeated myself, hoping one of them would see my distress and take it all back. Had they made a mistake? My world felt like it was imploding. Through my tears, I demanded to know, 'How am I on that list? Cindy is an original! I'm the longest-serving female character. I was the first person to give birth on the show.'
'I was clutching at anything, anything at all, to make them realise their mistake. How? Why was I the only original being cut? I couldn't understand. It felt so cold. I could see the distress I was causing them.'
She fled the room and was found by her co-stars Jennifer Metcalfe and Kirsty Leigh Porter who supported her before she could go home to husband Tom.
Stephanie also revealed how her agent had become determined to get soap bosses to reverse their decision - but in the end the actress herself decided she didn't want to stay.
