Hollyoaks star Stephanie Waring said an emotional goodbye to the Channel 4 soap as she paid a heartfelt tribute to her character on her last day of filming.
The actress, 46, who has played Cindy Cunningham for 28 years, took to Instagram on Wednesday with a heartfelt message about her time on the long-running show, branding her alter ego ‘worthy of my tears’.
Stephanie is the only original character to be included in a recent cull of 20 cast members.
It was revealed in May that Hollyoaks had become the latest soap to be hit by stringent budget cuts, with show bosses planning to reduce the workforce by 40 per cent.
In a lengthy and tear-jerking post, Stephanie penned a tribute to her character and shared a supportive text message she received from her fiancé Tom Brookes ahead of her final day on set.
Hollyoaks star Stephanie Waring was emotional on Wednesday as she ‘said goodbye’ to the show forever and headed to her last day on set (pictured in 2022)
The actress, 46, who has played Cindy Cunningham for 28 years, took to Instagram with a heartfelt message about her time on the British soap
In a lengthy and tear-jerking post, Stephanie penned a tribute to her character Cindy
The soap star wrote: ‘I knew today would be hard. However I have been putting my feelings about saying goodbye to the life I have known for 16 years in a box.
‘I thought “I will be fine I have been preparing for 3 months” I can’t wait to start my new life” .. I woke up to this message from my fiancé
‘It reminded me to feel.. it reminded me of how strong I am, it reminded me of what I have accomplished, it reminded me that I created a Hollyoaks Icon and she is worthy of my tears..
‘It reminded me that I am loved and that I am so unbelievably lucky to have a man who sees me for me in my life. Who sees the beauty and the brilliance, the flaws and loves them anyway.
‘Today I say goodbye and I will feel it and cherish all of my memories. Cindy let’s do one last take! #goodbye.’
The message from her fiancé was incredibly sweet, as he described today as a ‘bittersweet moment filled with both pride and nostalgia’.
Tom, who got down on one knee in December 2021 after one year of dating, went on to praise his partner’s ‘unwavering commitment, resilience, and passion’ and reassured her that she can look forward to ‘exciting new adventures that lie ahead’.
She has played Cindy Cunningham (right) in the Cheshire soap since 1998, and is the only original cast member to be axed
Stephanie’s fiance Tom, who got down on one knee in December 2021 after one year of dating, went on to praise his partner’s ‘unwavering commitment, resilience, and passion’ and reassured her that she can look forward to ‘exciting new adventures that lie ahead’ (pictured together in April 2024)
The message from her fiancé was equally as devastating, as he described today as a ‘bittersweet moment filled with both pride and nostalgia’
The soap star wrote: ‘I knew today would be hard. However I have been putting my feelings about saying goodbye to the life I have known for 16 years in a box
The star admitted that while she had a ‘gut feeling’ she was going to be axed, she had also just signed a year-long contract which she thought would save her from the recent cuts
Emotional fans in the comments of the post shared their own sweet goodbye messages to Stephanie’s character Cindy
It was reported in April that bosses had decided to axe twenty cast members, but a majority of their identities had not yet been revealed
Emotional fans in the comments of the post shared their own sweet goodbye messages to Stephanie’s character Cindy, quipping:
‘Nooo! I can’t believe you’re leaving!’
‘Yourself and Cindy will be missed! I’ve watched Hollyoaks since day one and I can’t imagine no Cindy. Good luck in whatever comes next.’
‘Cindy is Hollyoaks, it just won’t be the same, good luck for the future, you are going to shine.’
‘I really don’t like all these big characters leaving… the show isn’t going to be the same. I will miss Cindy watched her grow up. All the best for the future Steph.’
‘Oh Steph I do feel for you. Hope the day goes well and look forward to seeing you fly high in your new adventures.’
It comes after Stephanie broke down in tears earlier this year as she took to Instagram to share another very candid post about her devastation of her upcoming exit.
In the teary video, she told about the toll it has taken on her, saying: ‘Today I had to say goodbye to some crew members I have been working with for the last 16 years.
‘And known for the last 28 years. And it just hit me like a thunderbolt. I’m really going to miss these people.’
It comes after Stephanie broke down in tears earlier this year as she took to Instagram to share another very candid post about her devastation of her upcoming exit
In the teary video, she told about the toll it has taken on her, saying: ‘Today I had to say goodbye to some crew members I have been working with for the last 16 years’
Stephanie posted a selection of snaps from her time on the show when she initially broke the news of her departure to fans earlier this year
She continued how she has to be positive otherwise she would ‘just gonna go another way.’
Stephane admitted: ‘For me it just important to keep showing up with a smile on my face, but I’m really going to miss everyone and it’s really getting closer now till I have to say goodbye properly.’
She told how she doesn’t normally share the ‘s**t’ bits but wanted to be more honest on her social media and share some of her lows.
Her post was met with much support from fans as they shared their own stories of losing their jobs and how it can often lead to something better.
Speaking about being dropped from the show in an interview with The Sun in April, Steph confessed she was in utter disbelief over the news as she confessed: ‘I did expect more loyalty after almost three decades.’
The star admitted that while she had a ‘gut feeling’ she was going to be axed, she had also just signed a year-long contract which she thought would save her from the recent cuts.
She said: ‘In the meeting they read from a script and a tear fell from my eye because I could just feel it in the room.
‘They got to the end and said ‘And with that, we will be losing Cindy from the show’. I just kept saying ‘I don’t understand’. I was very distraught, I didn’t take it well – I was probably the most dramatic person they told.’
Steph explained she was left in floods of tears after hearing the news and has been left completely heartbroken.
