Guy Burnet

Guy Burnet, the man behind one of Hollyoaks' most iconic characters, has filmed his final scenes with the Channel 4 soap and, next week, his Chester character bids farewell to the village to embark on a new life in Ireland.

'It started with a kiss' as the song goes and it's most certainly been a bumpy ride for Craig Dean over the past seven months in a long-running storyline which began with him kissing his best friend, John Paul McQueen. As a result, the plot proved a massive hit, gaining a cult following amongst fans.

Digital Spy caught up with Guy for an exclusive and rare interview in which he spoke openly and candidly about the reasons behind his decision to quit the show, what it's been like playing a gay character, his appreciation of fans and what the future holds.

What happens in the aftermath of John Paul and Craig's affair coming out?
"A lot of the aftermath stuff is really good. We changed a hell of a lot of it. It came out initially [at script stage] and it's in the same week as another major storyline so we went and spoke to [the producers] and manipulated the scripts slightly with the director, Nigel Keane, and the consequence was a fantastic four episodes to end it on, I think. Something real.

"When Sarah discovers Craig and John Paul together, it's almost about her, I feel. Everything's been about Craig and John Paul and I thought that it was important in the aftermath to remember that a Sarah isn't forgotten.

"It's easy for everyone to love the JP and Craig storyline for the two of them being together, but it has to be understood that what makes the story is Craig's love for Sarah and Sarah's love for Craig. So it was important in the aftermath to show the confusion of Sarah – forget the confusion of Craig for a minute – the confusion of Sarah who's been as much part of this storyline as we have.

"In the episodes surrounding my leaving, you'll see a different and very important viewpoint - that of Sarah."

Do you think if Craig had a choice he's have carried on with the way things were?
"It was one of those things where he blanked out everything. He basically had his cake and he was eating it. He was happy for it to stay the same way but I don't think he considered the consequences of what would happen. He didn't think about any of it.

"He was going to Ireland with Sarah then he was going with John Paul. It's purely based on confusion within himself, not necessarily the social acceptance – that's not an issue until he comes out – it's the sexual confusion within himself which leads to the audience being confused as well.

"The thing that I wanted more than anything was to convey confusion – if Craig could go and sleep with John Paul and afterwards the audience can say 'hold on a minute – maybe he's not gay'… If I've provoked that question, then I've reached the goal I wanted to reach. If I'm confused, in turn Craig is confused and so is the audience – that's the way I see it."

What were the reasons behind your decision to leave?
"Initially, the thing that threw me over the edge to say 'right, I am going to leave Hollyoaks' was when I was sat at home thinking 'I'd love to go to Tokyo; I'd love to go and live in Mexico; I want to go and live in Costa Rica; I want to go and do these things now while I'm young and can still do them'.

"I learned so much at Hollyoaks. I loved the place and it was the most difficult decision almost purely based on the people, your best friends who work there – like Nick Pickard [Tony Hutchinson], Jimmy McKenna [Jack Osborne] and Carly Stenson [Steph Dean] – they're my family. They're people that before I even made my decision to leave, I went to and spoke to them about it. I remember having a conversation with Nick Pickard and saying 'I love it here, it's great but I feel that I want to move on but the thing that makes me want to stay the most is you guys'. He said to me 'go, don't let that hold you back'."

Would you ever rule out a return?
"The door's been left open for a possible return. Bryan Kirkwood's been so good to me. He's such a good guy. The show will just go from strength to strength. He's done a lot for me and I've learned so much, especially since he's been there. He's left the door completely open for me at the moment and I really appreciate that. God knows what the future holds for Craig.

"I really appreciate the freedom and the opportunities that they've given me to really make something different of this storyline, not just the conventional 'coming out' storyline – it's been a sexual confusion storyline. For James, it's been a 'coming out' storyline but for me, I really didn't want to mimic that or mirror it any way. It's important to show something different, something original and they gave me the freedom to do that. I'll never forget that.

"I'll miss the place and I'll miss the people so much but I'm really happy."

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