Ricky Whittle Surprises at Monte-Carlo TV Festival After Leaving Hollywood Behind

Former Hollyoaks star Ricky Whittle made a surprise appearance at the 64th Monte-Carlo Television Festival on Tuesday. 

The Brit, 45, shot to fame in 2006 as Calvin Valentine on Hollyoaks, enjoying a four-year stint on the northern soap before his character was brutally murdered. 

Ricky moved on to bigger things after his time on Channel 4 came to an end, with the actor making the move across the pond as he bagged roles in hit American shows such as The 100 and American Gods.

He turned his back on Hollywood in 2023, telling MailOnline he was ‘done’ with America and its ‘crazy politics’ and was planning to move away from Los Angeles. 

But just a couple of years later it seems Ricky may be considering a return to the big time as the hunky actor made a surprise appearance at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival on Tuesday. 

Former Hollyoaks star Ricky Whittle, 45, made a surprise appearance at the 64th Monte-Carlo Television Festival despite previously claiming he was ‘done’ with Hollywood roles

The Brit shot to fame in 2006 as Calvin Valentine on Hollyoaks, enjoying a four-year stint on the northern soap before his character was brutally murdered

He arrived on the red carpet in southern France looking typically dapper in a black tux ahead of his role presenting the festival’s Golden Nymph Awards Ceremony alongside Shy’m, 39. 

The duo posed for photos together, with Ricky playfully making sure the spotlight was on the French actress as she put on a leggy display in an eye-catching black and white dress.

Later in the evening the pair suffered an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction while performing a dance routine on-stage as Shy’m spilled out her outfit momentarily.  

Ricky had too been in attendance a day earlier, with the star showing off his enviable physique in a see-through black vest top teamed with a pair of baggy trousers.

He posed for photos alongside the glamorous Adriana Karembeu, 54, who stunned in a black blouse, a coordinated skirt and a pair of high heels.

Whittle was last seen on television while playing Mickey Barnes in one episode of The Rookie, a show following a police officer in Los Angeles. 

Prior to that the 45-year-old had enjoyed a quiet couple of years work-wise after the end of American Gods in 2021. 

Despite all of his success across the pond, during his interview with MailOnline in 2023 Ricky did not completely rule out a possible return to the British soap one day. 

He arrived on the red carpet in southern France looking typically dapper in a black tux ahead of his role presenting the festival’s Golden Nymph Awards Ceremony alongside Shy’m, 39

The duo posed for photos together, with Ricky playfully making sure the spotlight was on the French actress as she put on a leggy display in an eye-catching black and white dress

Ricky had too been in attendance a day earlier, with the star showing off his enviable physique in a see-through black vest top teamed with a pair of baggy trousers. He posed for photos alongside the glamorous Adriana Karembeu, 54

He said: ‘Would I ever do a soap again? Probably not, but for fun why not, I don’t care as I’m in a fortunate position, where I don’t need to work. 

‘I haven’t been in Hollyoaks for 20 years but at the end of the day you can never shy away from where you came from.’

He also opened up about the influence his time on Hollyoaks had on his acting skills, saying: ‘If it wasn’t for Hollyoaks I wouldn’t be where I am now.

‘Hollyoaks is an education, you’re learning 12 to 15 scripts every day and halfway through a day, new pages are coming down and it’s like “learn them now” and you just get it done and don’t think about’. 

‘My character went from being the good guy, to the bad guy to the club owner, to the policeman, to your sister’s on drugs, to you’d killed someone and then he’s back to life – it’s like you go through a whole gambit of emotions’.

‘If that’s not great education for an actor- I don’t know what is.’

He added: ‘I would never look down on soap actors because they’re the ones that are putting in five days a week and I’ve got nothing but love for those guys and what that show did for me.’