The clocks appeared to stop on Monday evening as Nick Pickard attended the Hollyoaks 30th anniversary celebration in Liverpool.
The teen soap has somehow survived three decades of brazen infidelities, far right radicalisation, predatory serial killers, baby swaps and gay conversion therapy since launching on Channel 4 in 1995.
And through it all, the show’s longest serving cast-member looked like he hadn’t aged a day while toasting the remarkable milestone at St. George’s Hall.
As hapless Tony Hutchinson, actor Nick Pickard, 50, has been a Hollyoaks mainstay since making his first appearance in the fictional Cheshire village during its inaugural episode on 23 October 1995.
Joining Hollyoaks creator Phil Redmond and an array of cast-members at the Liverpool venue – among them his younger brother John – a fresh faced Pickard was on hand to celebrate the show’s various achievements.
But if his looks were well preserved, so too was his suit, with the actor choosing to wear the same powder blue two-piece he previously wore at the Inside Soap Awards on September 29.
The clocks appeared to stop on Monday evening as Nick Pickard, the show’s longest serving star, attended the Hollyoaks 30th anniversary celebration looking like he’d barely aged a day
Pickard was joined by girlfriend Sarah Corrin at Liverpool’s St. George’s Hall for the event
Pickard was accompanied by long-term girlfriend Sarah Corrin, with whom he shares a home in Liverpool, as he walked the red carpet shortly after arriving.
Better known for his exploits as Tony, the actor earned a wider fanbase in 2023 after travelling to Australia for the twenty third series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
Corrin later admitted she was inundated with messages from fans after Pickard inadvertantly became something of a sex symbol among viewers of the long-running show.
‘I’ve had people sending me stuff saying that Nick is a heartthrob. Which is a surprise, well, not a surprise to me because I think he’s gorgeous but he’s got a whole new following,’ she told Daily Mail.
‘This girl put up a poll on Instagram. One option was “I find Nick weirdly fit” and the majority had clicked that.
‘I commented that I agreed but said “less of the weird please.”
‘Then she privately messaged me and must have seen my Instagram supporting him and said: “Oh, are you a fan?”
She added: ‘It’s nice people get to see the Nick part of him and not just Tony. But you haven’t seen all of him yet. I’ve wanted him to do it for years.
Pickard has been through the mill as Tony since making his first appearance in the fictional Cheshire village during its inaugural episode on 23 October, 1995 (pictured in 2004)
Joining Hollyoaks creator Phil Redmond (pictured) at the Liverpool venue, a fresh faced Pickard was on hand to celebrate the show’s various achievements
The actor’s younger brother John (right), who also played his screen brother on the show (left), made an appearance at Monday’s milestone celebration
Pickard was in high spirits as he joined Channel 4 bosses for a red carpet photo on Monday
‘He’s very competitive and a good team player so that’s why I’ve always said, out of all the things he could do, I’m A Celebrity would be a good one for him.
‘I’m really surprised I haven’t seen him have a hunger tantrum. He is the most positive upbeat person you’ll ever meet but don’t mess with him and his food.
‘When people are going off for the Trials he’s like ‘Don’t worry if you don’t get all the stars’ but I know on the inside he’s like inside, “You have to get all the stars.”‘
A distraught Tony is pictured with Mandy, played by Sarah Dunn, in a 2004 episode of the hugely popular teen soap
Pickard earned a wider fanbase in 2023 after travelling to Australia for the twenty third series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
