Hollyoaks legend makes surprising TV comeback 25 years after soap fame – but admits bosses have ‘cut shifts drastically’
HOLLYOAKS icon Jeremy Edwards is back on our TV screens in a totally different kind of role.
The actor, famed for playing Kurt Benson on the Channel 4 soap before later joining the cast of Holby City, is now a TV presenter.
Now hosting on Ideal World TV, the star can be seen flogging household goods on the TV shopping channel.
He first shared the news eight weeks ago on Instagram, declaring: “Missed me? You can catch me every Monday 10 – 2 here on Ideal World! It’s a blast. See you soon.”
However, he added that his shifts on screen had been cut back, adding: “Unfortunately they have cut my shifts drastically so I’m only on once a week now. I love it tho!”
Ideal World TV went into administration last year and was even temporarily pulled from air as a result.
It prompted them to strip back their on-screen talent in a cost-cutting measure – but is now available on Sky and FreeSat.
Jeremy, who was once dubbed ‘Britain’s Sexiest Man’, is worlds away from his days as leather clad biker Kurt as he hosts demonstrations of fitness gear and homeware viewers can buy.
Those watching at home can also call into the studio to discuss the items on sale.
The one time soap star’s unlikely new career comes just a year after he revealed that he had given up on showbiz and was working as a drama teacher after failing to land any TV work since his brief return to Hollyoaks in 2020.
Jeremy was once a regular on TV throughout the nineties and noughties.
After leaving Hollyoaks in 1999, Jeremy went straight into BBC medical drama Holby City, and spent almost five years playing healthcare assistant Danny Shaughnessy.
Following that, he then appeared on series three of Celebrity Big Brother, where he finished in fourth place.
Jeremy has also appeared as a contestant on Dancing on Ice and Celebrity X Factor. His other acting roles include a regular on hugely popular CBBC series Millie Inbetween.
Last year, the 53-year-old dad-of-two parted ways with his agent so he could focus on teaching kids drama at Film UK in Hampshire, following in his mum’s footsteps as she was also a teacher.
He said at the time he found helping young people was more fun and rewarding than acting.
He said: “We are giving kids confidence which takes them forward in life. I’m not just teaching. I’m helping people.
“It’s a safe space for them. You get to pretend to be someone else for a bit and it’s fun.
“They know they aren’t going to get picked on, they know they are going to learn skills, and they are going to have fun on stage and they get to work with someone who was on TV.
“Even if they don’t go into acting they would have built up their confidence.”
He admits having a mortgage and kids spurs him on to keep working adding: “I’m terrified.
“I’ve always been freelance. Duncan Bannantyne said ‘if you want motivation, take on a load of debt’.
“I’ve got kids and a mortgage. I do get up early and put in hours of work but sometimes I struggle. I have to keep going and keep fighting and now I’m doing something I love again.”