Hollyoaks clear up cast confusion

A number of members of the 'Hollyoaks' cast have been permanently written out of the Channel 4 soap.

After the entire Sharpe family - Gabby (Phina Oruche), Phil (Andonis Anthony), Taylor (Shaun Blackstock) and Amber (Lydia Lloyd-Henry) - were wiped out of the show when their storylines came to a somewhat abrupt ending, some fans were left confused as to the whereabouts of the characters.

A spokesperson confirmed: "There are no immediate plans to bring the Sharpe family back into the show following their recent departure."

However, the unlucky Sharpe clan weren't the only ones to face the chop from the soap, as Rob O'Connor (Gary Cargill) - the headteacher of Hollyoaks High - is also to remain offscreen "for the time being".

Meanwhile, former 'Emmerdale' actress Sheree Murphy - who joined 'Hollyoaks' in April 2010 to play mouthy mum Eva Strong - and her on-screen daughter Anita Roy (Saira Choudhry) have decided to leave the soap.

The spokesperson added to Digital Spy: "Because of family commitments, Sheree sadly had to inform the writers that she wouldn't be able to renew her contract with 'Hollyoaks' when it came to an end. However, the door has been left open for Eva to return to the village.

"Sadly, Saira Choudhry will be leaving us on screen in the week commencing January 17 and there are no plans for her to return. After two-and-a-half fantastic and action-packed years in the show for Anita, Saira felt it was time to move on and we wish her the very best of luck."