‘Just cruel’ rant Hollyoaks fans as iconic character is killed off – despite actor wanting to ‘stay on soap forever’

HOLLYOAKS fans person been near furious aft the amusement brutally killed disconnected a fan-favourite quality contempt him admitting helium wanted to enactment connected the amusement "forever".

Viewers of the Channel 4 soap opera were near reeling erstwhile Ethan Williams appeared to autumn to his decease soon aft tying the knot with Sienna Blake.

Matthew James Bailey's character's lifeless assemblage was seen atop a conveyance extracurricular of the wedding venue aft falling from a balcony above.

The histrion was axed from the amusement arsenic portion of the caller formed cull owing to fund cuts astatine the soap and its home, Channel 4.

However, it appeared that it was not a autumn that Ethan had and it was much than apt that helium was pushed from the tallness by an as-yet unidentified assailant.

With his decease present confirmed, furious fans person already begun to deed retired astatine the soap and the large loss.

Writing connected X - formerly Twitter - aft the scenes played out, 1 instrumentality said: "I volition forgive the show. But I americium besides perfectly fuming. It's abhorrent however severely the amusement is treating the erstwhile cast. They person to propulsion thing large retired due to the fact that a batch of the bully volition is gone."

Another added: "Love seeing however galore fans are aggravated implicit Ethan’s axing. Can’t we commencement a petition to bring him backmost oregon something?"

A 3rd penned: "It was really truthful cruel of Hollyoaks to get a fashionable mates backmost together, person them get joined and termination 1 of them each successful the aforesaid episode, implicit savagery from #Hollyoaks there."

Before idiosyncratic other echoed: "I anticipation the histrion who played Ethan knows that astir of the viewers was raging he’s killed off, aforesaid goes for the histrion who played James too."

In an interrogation with the Metro aft his exit, Matthew appeared to instrumentality a swipe astatine Hollyoaks arsenic helium fto his feelings of disappointment beryllium known astir his axing.

He said to the publication: "I’m perfectly devastated to beryllium leaving the show.

"I’ve made it wide that this is my location and I ne'er thought it would extremity the mode that it did.

"I consciousness similar Ethan had a batch much imaginable and maturation successful him. I would openly accidental erstwhile I thought it was clip for him to measurement distant but, to beryllium honest, I don’t deliberation it was the close time.

"I don’t deliberation we were finished. So no, it wasn’t my choice. I would ne'er locomotion distant from the show. 

"As agelong arsenic the fans wanted maine present and were enjoying what I did, I would ever springiness perfectly everything to this show."

He further added that helium was near "surprised and shocked" by the determination to termination him disconnected the amusement fixed instrumentality excitement surrounding his matrimony to Sienna.

Matthew added: "I was surprised. I bash recognize that sacrifices request to beryllium made – it’s unluckily portion of the occupation and if they thought that was the close determination past I can’t truly reason with that. 

"I retrieve going into the gathering and seeing the look alteration and conscionable being gutted.

"You tin archer what’s coming from the code of someone’s dependable and the sentence: ‘Unfortunately, we won’t beryllium continuing with Ethan’ volition enactment with maine for a while.

"Hearing those words was heartbreaking. I didn’t deliberation it was his clip to permission and I was truly shocked by the decision."