HOLLYOAKS actor Gregory Finnegan has revealed that he broke down in tears after he was axed from the Channel 4 soap as he slams bosses for how they handled it.
Gregory, 44, who played popular James Nightingale for nine years, was blown up by a car bomb at the end of today’s dramatic episode.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, the dad-of-three, reveals how he initially held it together and even thanked bosses for his time on the show after he was told of their decision back in March.
But being a “dead man walking” on set, as he saw out the remainder of his contract, he found himself having a number of difficult conversations with the cast and crew.
As news of his axing swept round the building, a conversation with co-star Alex Fletcher, who plays Diane Hutchinson, led to him “bawling” his eyes out.
He said: “News did go round relatively quickly. Someone put it on a group that they were going, so I did too.
“People seemed shocked which was nice in it’s own way but at the same time quite depressing when people are coming up to you saying ‘I can’t believe it, that’s ridiculous’ you’re like, okay, I’ve dealt with it.
“Everyone was very kind in both the cast and crew. It wasn’t much fun going in when you know you’re a dead man walking.
“Lovely Alex Fletcher just stared at me, then she started crying and I started crying. I was like, ‘Fletch you’ve got to stop, because I haven’t cried at all, and this was weeks after it had happened but she just completely broke me, and then I was bawling. But it’s good to get it out. People dealt with it in different ways, a lot of people didn’t say anything fro a while because they didn’t know what to say, they keep their jobs.
“There’s no ill feeling, it’s no-ones fault, the more upfront people were the easier I found to deal with it.”
Gregory, whose book, The World According to Grog was released today, added: “It was a gradual thing over a few weeks.
“I tried to keep it together for my family, stiff upper lip, all that kind of thing, but gradually it was that wave of sadness, and upset, like I say in my book, it was like a grief process and I really did go through it. It was a hard thing to come to terms with.
“You tell yourself, it’s just a job, but you’ve been there nine years, made friends, had formed relationships, these are people you see more than you see your own family.
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https://www.thesun.co.uk/tv/30385295/ho ... ale-tears/
