Paul Danan has died at the age of 46 (Image: Getty)
Paul Danan has died at the age of 46, his management has announced.
They issued a heartbreaking statement, saying: “It is with heavy hearts that we share the tragic news of the passing of @pauldanan at just 46 years old.
“Known for his television presence, exceptional talent, and unwavering kindness, Paul was a beacon of light to so many.
“His untimely departure will leave irreplaceable voids in the lives of all who knew him.
“During this difficult time, we kindly request respect and privacy for Paul’s family, friends, and colleagues. No further comments will be made at this time.”
The actor was best known for starring as Sol Patrick in ‘s Hollyoaks from 1997 to 2001.
Danan made a transition to reality TV after departing the soap, appearing as a contestant on the first series of Celebrity Love Island in 2005 before returning for the second season the following year.
In 2017, he competed in Celebrity Big Brother and starred in series seven of E4’s Celebrity Coach Trip in 2022.
Danan was best known for starring as Sol Patrick in Hollyoaks (Image: Channel 4)
He appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2017 (Image: PA)
Before his death, Danan had been running a drama group and prison workshops to help those struggling with addiction and mental health issues.
Last year, Danan revealed that he was brought back to life after his “obsessive” vape usage caused respiratory failure.
After losing consciousness and collapsing at his home, Danan was given CPR by his family before being rushed to hospital.
The reality star ended up in the ICU with pneumonia and his family were warned he might not “make it through the night”.
Danan recalled how the doctor was “so harsh” with him after he woke up, warning him that he risked having to be linked to an oxygen tank later in life if he carried on smoking.
He told : “I was dead — it’s a miracle I’m here. I’m upstairs puffing away on my vape then suddenly I lost my breath and collapsed. My family called for an ambulance and started giving me CPR, then police arrived and took over before paramedics took me to hospital.
“I was on a machine in ICU and ended up with pneumonia. My family were warned I might not make it through the night. I’m so lucky.’
“The doctor was so, so harsh with me. She told me, ‘Paul, you don’t know how serious this was and you are going to be in here for a while now, on this oxygen’.”
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The actor battled with alcohol and drug addiction throughout his life (Image: PA)
Danan, who has a son named Deniro, nine, had a lengthy battle with alcohol and drugs but revealed he had been sober for more than three years.
He became hooked on disposable vapes after quitting cigarettes in 2021, admitting he even went to bed holding one for comfort.
Danan appeared on podcast in May 2024, where he opened up about his near-fatal heroin overdose.
This happened shortly after he returned from a rehab stint in South Africa following his departure from Hollyoaks.
He said: “It took a bad route, a very dark route. Drugs, I had an overdose. I came out of rehab in South Africa. The psychiatrist had put me on all these anti-psychotics. I was there for months.
“I got back home and my parents were so proud of me. I was fat and horrible and didn’t feel like myself.”
“They gave me my keys and car and I detoured and got some gear, some coke. I got a bag of brown [heroin] which I’d never done before. I snorted it and shouldn’t have snorted it because that’s dangerous. I ended up having an overdose really bad.”
His parents realised something was wrong after he went to bed and called an ambulance.
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Danan revealed that he was brought back to life after his “obsessive” vape usage caused respiratory failure (Image: Instagram)
Danan recalled: “My mum found me and I couldn’t breath, it was terrible. Apparently my mum heard me gagging on my last breath. She came into the room and couldn’t wake me up.
“My little brother was next door which was the saddest thing about it because still to this day he’s been traumatised by it.
“She called the ambulance and luckily they were parked down the end of the road. They came and said what has he taken and she said he doesn’t do drugs. They knew they had to give me the antidote. F**k me, it was Pulp Fiction.
Danan added: “All I could see was my dad’s face at the end of the ambulance. My mum said to me she’d already said goodbye to me. I saw my dad’s face and could see this look of absolute disgust and hate, but relief, ‘Oh my God, he’s alive.'”
After four years of playing Sol in Hollyoaks, Danan moved to Los Angeles in the hopes of making it in . But being away from his family and friends meant he turned to drugs.
“America is very drug orientated if you’re young. I was in my twenties. The one thing I needed was family or friends around me and I didn’t. It was like the drugs filled that void, they were my friend,” he confessed.
Before his death, Danan ran a drama group and prison workshops to help those struggling with addiction (Image: Instagram/Paul Danan)
Danan relapsed during the first -19 lockdown, having not touched drugs in a year and a half.
He told : “I ended up bumping into someone outside and getting some cocaine from them. It was a moment of like, “F**k it, I’m not going to get another chance.” Then I went back to my parents and used.
“I only had a few lines but it was enough to get the taste again. They say one line is too many, a thousand is never enough, and that’s what it’s like.
“I felt terrible, so guilty and ashamed. I reckon over the years I’ve spent about £1million on rehab and recovery, and yet there I was doing it all again.”
Danan ended up in Gladstones – a rehab facility in the Cotswolds – which he admitted “saved my life”.
He remained there for three and a half months, during which he received the right ADHD medication as well as a psychiatrist and yoga teacher.
It was here that Paul pitched his idea for drama workshops. He moved to Bristol after checking out of Gladstones and kickstarted his The Morning After Theatre workshops, which is now a charity.