Hollyoaks newcomer Rex star's life – Movie fame, ice cream van job and EastEnders past
Former EastEnders star Jonny Labey, who played Paul Coker in the BBC One soap, has announced a new career move seven years after his character was brutally killed off
Jonny Labey is about to burst onto Channel 4 screens as a new soap villain.
There are big twists and turns in store for Hollyoaks fans next week as newcomer Rex rocks up and will kick off his debut working alongside Warren Fox. Rex is hired to help out with jobs alongside Ste Hay but the pair butt heads almost immediately.
With plenty of drama about to go down and the possibility of Warren meeting his match in Rex, there has been a buzz of excitement among fans. Rex is also played by Jonny, who is no stranger when it comes to working on soaps.
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The 30-year-old actor will be recognised by most viewers from his stint on BBC One's Eastenders. Almost a decade ago, he played the lovable Paul Coker, leaving the soap in 2016.
Fans were heartbroken when his character was horrifically killed off in a brutal homophobic attack. Paul, the adorable grandson of Pam and Les Coker - who ran the local funeral parlour, waltzed into Walford and quickly became Ben Mitchell's love interest.
He proved not to be Phil Mitchell's favourite person - Ben's dad and also the local hard-man during his time on the programme. But his devastating love story with Ben came to a close when he was dramatically killed off.
Paul was beaten so badly by a homophobic mob that he didn't survive his injuries. Ben (played by Max Bowden) was heartbroken and still to this day has never really gotten over his death.
Meanwhile, Jonny put his time in between working on soaps to good use. He set out to pen his very own short film, all while revealing a secret career he'd had before acting.
Taking to the director's chair, Jonny encouraged fans and friends to rally up support and funds to aid with his first movie project, We Scream. He started a GoFundMe page, offering folk the chance to attend the premier in exchange of their cash.
He said at the time: "We All Scream is based on my own true moment in life and with your help will be my first leap as a director!". Over on social media, Jonny added: "Gofundme link in my story and bio gets you invited to the first screening and even credited!
"All love, donating and/or sharing is hugely appreciated. Here's to the mad journey into filmmaking and having an idea and running with it #WEALLSCREAM #shortfilm #director #gofundme #mentalhealthawareness #jersey @gofundme."
The description read: "Jersey Born actor Jonny Labey is making his directorial debut in this short film based on his own story, returning to his home during Lockdown and working in his friend's ice cream van."
The soap star's new career move comes after his success on screen and stage. He has appeared on a variety of shows, including Shakespeare and Hathaway: Private Investigators (2022), Doctors (2022), Romeo and Juliet (2021), and he also played Don Juan in the 2020 Netflix movie Jingle Jangle.
X-Factor enthusiasts will recall Jonny from the 2019 celebrity edition of the show, where he was knocked out in week 2. He also starred in the lead role in the West End production of Baz Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom.
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