HOLLYOAKS star Tamara Wall has revealed why she quit the soap after 12 years – revealing the hatred towards her character was threatening to soap’s existence itself.
The actress, 48, has played Grace Black since 2013 through huge storylines involving murders, drug dealing and prison sentences – but her recent descent into human trafficking saw her cross the line.
And it was that that made Tamara come to the decision with executive producer Hannah to leave the show and to say goodbye to Grace for good.
Viewers watched tonight in shock as Grace flatlined in bed after being shot by her sister Clare Devine.
Grace had finally tried to do the right thing and right all her wrongs – but actress Tamara has revealed that there was just no way back for the character after all she’d done.
Speaking in her only exit chat exclusively to The Sun she said: “I’m devastated.
“But it was going to happen. We knew when we did the storyline that there was every chance that it was going to be. So we took a risk. We told the storyline. I think I told it pretty well.
“Well I must have done, because everyone hates me. Well they hate Grace. So as devastated as I am, at least I understand why. And it’s for the right reasons. And I don’t think Grace was ever going to get her happy ending. Do you know what I mean?”
Filming her final scenes with Clare actress Gemma Bissix, one of her closest friends for years but only playing scenes together for the past six months, just weeks ago, it was tough.
“That’s what I’m most gutted about is that I don’t get to work with Gemma again,” she said.
“Because we’ve just had the best time. Like, I’m so glad that I got to come back and work with her. Do you know what I mean? That was amazing. And it was just the right time.”
Tamara added that it was the realisation that Grace had gone too far when she began selling her friends’ children into sexual exploitation before trying to have them killed – that she realised she had to go.
The backlash towards fans became too much for her to cope with so in a meeting with executive producer Hannah Cheers, it was decided she would leave and that Grace would die.
She said she was worried that if Grace didn’t pay properly for what she’d done, the backlash would intensify and threaten the soap itself.
“I came to the decision a while ago when I was just seeing all of this hate coming to her,” she said.
“And it was just… I think as well when I had a conversation with Hannah about it.
“And I was like, it looks bad on the show because it looks like morally we’re not caring about what that character’s done.
“And I was like, I don’t want to be the cause of Hollyoaks’ downfall. Do you know what I mean? That would be awful. So, you know, we came to the decision together and it was right.”
She added: “But that was what was getting me. That was what really kind of nailed the coffin for me, was like, I’m really not enjoying this.
“Like, even though I know it’s not me, you know, it’s the character, I know that. But after having so many years of people loving her, to have so much hate, you know, get her off my screen, and I hate her, and why the writer’s still writing for her, blah, blah, blah, you can’t help but take it a little bit personally.
“Literally made the decision like only a couple of months ago. I was getting really upset because I was seeing so much on Twitter, which I shouldn’t read, but you do.
“And it just looked really bad. It looked like we didn’t care. And I was like, this is not right. I can’t do this. I don’t want to go to prison.
“You know, because I think right at the beginning of the storyline, that was always going to be the thing. We were like, if it goes down really badly, I’m going to have to go to prison.
“And I, you know, me and Hannah were like, I don’t want that. It’s a s*** way to go, isn’t it? So I was like, no, come on. And then obviously 30 years anniversary and that made it.
“Hollyoaks has been my life for the last, what, 13 years now, I think. And my family and everything to me. I love that building.”
Becoming tearful, Tamara added: “I love that building so much and every single person in it is just beautiful. Like, so lovely. And they’ve treated me so well. I don’t have a bad word to say about that place.”
And while many, many soap characters have returned from the dead, including Grace’s killer sister Clare, this time it’s for good.
The actress added: “It’s like, you know, maybe if she came back alive, you know, that would be great. But if not, I can feel proud of what I’ve done there.
“And that I’ve left, you know, on my own grounds and in a nice way. Everyone’s been so lovely. I can’t tell you. Like, when I had my last scene, it was me in the hospital bed. And I didn’t realise everyone was there.
“I turn around and looked and literally it’s just like a wall of people. So I feel very, very loved and very blessed to have played that part for so long.
“And I’ve had so many bloody wicked story lines. Like, I’ve got to do everything. I’ve got to be a baddie. I’ve got to be funny. I’ve got to be emotional.
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“You know, I’ve had God knows how many different love interests of both sexes. I could not have wished to have played a better part.
“And to be fair, you know, nobody ever expects for her to stay as long as she has doing the things that she’s done. I mean, how many people has she killed? So she’s done well to survive as long as she has.
“I think also she’s going how she would want to go. She didn’t want to be locked up in a cell again. And she knew that it was coming to it.
“So I think it was part of it where I think, you know, you’ll see in the last scene where she knows she’s going and she wants to make everything right before she goes.
“So it’s nice. I’m happy. And I’m excited. Who knows what I’m going to get to do now?”
