Hollyoaks star Claire Cooper has revealed soap bosses begged her to stay, and even tried to tempt her with exciting storylines.

The 33-year-old actress is leaving the soap after seven years playing ex-con Jacqui McQueen, but revealed Hollyoaks producers had tried everything to persuade her to stay.

Claire revealed: "Bless them, they offered me some wonderful things and I'm so flattered but I was just in a different head space and wanted to make a break."

She added: "I handed my notice in a year ago because you have to be respectful to the whole story and everyone involved," she explained. "You can't just go, 'By the way I'm off'. It doesn't work like that in soaps and I did feel a year ago that I'd explored where I wanted to go and wanted to wind her [Jacqui] down over the next year."

But the actress insisted Jacqui had to go out with a bang.

She said: "I want her to remain formidable rather than become half the woman she was. I can't let that happen to her.

"I've kept this woman who's rough around the edges but with a golden heart and she always has to be this wild, chav-tastic little volatile ball of fun. I had to leave on a high."

:: Hollyoaks is on Channel 4 on weekdays.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/cooper-hollyoa ... ml#kbPfyKL