'Hollyoaks' star speaks about exit

Darren Jeffries has admitted that it would have been easy to stay on Hollyoaks for another decade.

His character OB joins girlfriend Summer (Summer Strallen) in London in today's episode and Jeffries is following in his footsteps after ten years on the show.

He told the Manchester Evening News: "I've always loved London as a city, and I thought, seeing as I've made such a drastic change in my life by leaving Hollyoaks, I might as well go the whole hog and have a nice change of scenery as well."

Talking about his departure from the Channel 4 soap, he said: "It would have been very easy to stay in Hollyoaks for another 10 years, but, at the end of the day, you don't get on in life without taking a few risks and there's more to life than money.

"It was a difficult decision but it's one that I made three years ago. That made it a lot easier to prepare, both mentally and physically."

He added that he was happy with his exit storyline, saying: "Me and the producer, Bryan Kirkwood, chatted... and I explained that I didn't want OB to go out in a big gas explosion or car crash.

"I think what people like about OB is he's quite real, believable and down to earth, so it will be nice to see him go out in that way too. It's a very realistic and natural ending for the character, and also very emotional. I think it will be a very satisfying ending for the viewers."