HOLLYOAKS star Greg Finnegan has revealed how he was ordered to strip off by soap bosses on his first day before being “sheared like a sheep”.
The actor – who plays James Nightingale in the Channel 4 soap – makes the bombshell claims in his upcoming new memoir that has left soap bosses terrified, The Sun can exclusively reveal.
Writing in the upcoming book, The World According to Grog, he tells how his first day on set saw him ordered to strip down to his boxer shorts in front of his new cast mates.
He was was then completely shave and ordered to have a spray tan.
“My first experience in the building was to be sheared,” he writes.
“Sheared like a sheep. The day before I started shooting, I was asked to come in and meet Helen Black, the head of make-up, for a hair and make-up test.
“I arrived, gave my name and waited nervously in reception for Helen. I waited a long time. In fact, I never met her. I did meet the charming and legendary Faye Ward, who from that day was now the new head of make-up.
“I have no idea what had happened to make this switch happen but Faye took me down to Make-up and asked me, in her thick scouse accent, to strip. Sorry, what? Strip. Your top half and down to your boxers.
“Um, OK. Just here, in front of everyone? Yup, we need to see how hairy you are. Shit, I thought, I’m quite a hairy guy – this could be a long day.
“As soon as my skin was bared, Faye started to shave me. All of me. Was this necessary, I asked? ‘Bryan doesn’t like hair!’ was the answer I was given. Exec producer Bryan Kirkwood, that was.
“I would go on to learn that he disliked beards, chest wigs and any other unruly tufts you might have.
“This was a baptism by clippers and given that many of my new cast mates came and went in the hour or two that I was in there, an extremely exposing one.”
Greg also revealed that once he had been shaved, he was then told to undergo a spray tan to fit in with the other cast of the soap.
“Next came the spray tan,” he said.
“I was taken to a small booth in a broom cupboard, given a tiny pair of paper pants and darkened by several shades.
“What have I let myself in for, I wondered, as I stood there starting to resemble an ethnicity I had no claim to.”
And all this was in full view of his new co-stars – people he had yet to meet.
He added: “After that it was back to the make-up room for a trim.
“During my hair cut an actor came into the makeup room and looked over at me. I smiled weakly and raised my hand in hello.
“He looked at me suspiciously and then said, ‘Oh, you’re the one who’s going to try and take my Harry, are you?’
“I had no idea what he was talking about. Um, maybe, not sure, I replied. ‘Yeah, well, we’ll see.’ And he turned on his heel and left. OK, this wasn’t going to be as simple as I had thought!”
Greg’s book comes as the soap gears up for a major relaunch as it goes down to three episodes per week from Monday.
HOLLYOAKS beauty Chelsee Healey has dropped the biggest hint yet she's been axed from the soap - yet what's happening at the Channel 4 show?
Earlier this year, the Channel 4 soap was forced to address the cull of cast members.
It came after The Sun was first to report Hollyoaks bosses plan to kill off a whopping 20 cast members.
Now Chelsee, who recently took time away from her role as Goldie McQueen to give birth to her second daughter, has now made a cryptic move on X.
The Manchester lass, 36, re-posted a picture of her character crying to her page.
It came after Stephanie Waring, famed for her 28-year-long role as Cindy Cunningham, confirmed that soap bosses had axed her as part of the 20-person strong cast cull.
Another big name set to quit for good is popstar turned soap star Jamelia.
The soap’s resident hunk and TV favourite Owen Warner has also left the show amid the cuts with fans left devastated to say goodbye to his character Romeo Nightingale.
Jamie Lomas has also quit the show and will depart his Warren Fox role soon.
Haiesha Mistry famed for her role as Yasmine Maalik has also left after seven years.
After this week’s episodes the soap will take a year-long time jump – with 20 cast members being axed due to Channel 4 cutbacks.
Gregory Finnegan’s eagerly anticipated book, The World According to Grog, is out on Wednesday 12th September but readers can pre-order here
