Former Hollyoaks actor and Celebrity Love Island star Paul Danan died in January at the age of 46 after taking a lethal mix of heroin and cocaine, an inquest has heard
The death of Hollyoaks and reality TV star Paul Danan from a cocktail of drugs was a misadventure, a coroner has concluded.
Paul, 46, played bad boy Sol Patrick from 1997 to 2001 on the Channel 4 soap and was later known for his reality TV appearances, including on Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity Love Island. An inquest into his death was held at Avon Coroner’s Court in Flax Bourton, near Bristol, before Assistant Coroner Debbie Rookes on Wednesday.
The hearing was told how Paul was found unresponsive and slumped on his sofa in front of the television at his home in Brislington, Bristol, on January 15 this year. Emergency services attended the scene and confirmed that he had died. His body was identified there by his partner, Melissa Crooks.
READ MORE: Paul Danan’s cause of death confirmed in inquest two months after body tragically found
His death was not treated as suspicious by authorities. MailOnline previously reported that Paul had been staying in his luxury apartment block to try and get clean from drugs. In a podcast last year, Paul told how he was living in a “dry house” in Bristol, which is believed to be the flat where he was found dead. The Grade II listed property has a swimming pool, gym and tennis court.
His neighbours told the publication that Paul “kept himself to himself” in his first-floor, one-bedroom apartment, and they thought he lived there alone. One resident said: “I didn’t know he was famous, I don’t think anyone living here knew who he was until he died. His family has been here since and asked us not to say anything.”
Paul was due to appear in court over driving and drug offences the day his death was announced. He was set to enter a plea at Warrington Magistrates Court in Cheshire after being charged with being in possession of several bags of cocaine as well as a ‘quantity’ of cannabis. He was also accused of driving a vehicle whilst under the influence of drugs in October in Warrington.
Just a week before his death, the actor had taken to social media platform Instagram to act out a Shakespeare scene. Along with a video of his impressive scene work, he wrote: “Audition for A Twelfth Night to play Orsino. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone near a bit of the master that is our pioneer Sir William Shakespeare.
“You forget what a genius he really was and remember how beautiful and exhilarating it is when you get stuck into tackling his work. It’s an amazing experience! I forget sometimes how much I need to be awoken… #twelfthnight #stafford #shakespeare.” The recital was applauded by his friend Calum Best, and fans said in the comments that “he’s still got it” and “awesome”.
Paul is understood to have been put forward for Celebs Go Dating and was said to have been “feeling optimistic” about his future. The actor, who suffered two near-death experiences before he died, had been very candid about the ups and downs of his career. Months before his death, Paul discussed how he ended up working in a phone shop after the offers dried up.
On a podcast in November, he said: “It’s very tough. I mean, maybe years ago, I shouldn’t have left Hollyoaks, but I made that decision because, after four years, I didn’t want to be typecast and back then, everyone didn’t want to be the next Ken Barlow. You wanted to go off and play different roles, especially when you’re a real actor.”
Paul explained how starring in reality shows led to the demise of his career. He said: “It was a detriment to my acting career because it didn’t help. Maybe if I had stayed in the background and didn’t make a big splash, I would probably have been alright. But you know me, if I’m on a show, I’m going to give it my all and be TV gold! It didn’t help with my acting career because suddenly people were like ‘Oh, we don’t want to hire a reality star!'”
A postmortem examination concluded that his death was due to combined toxicity of heroin, methadone, codeine, pregabalin, cocaine and zopiclone, contributed to by benzodiazepine use. Ms Rookes reached a conclusion that Danan had died by misadventure after hearing written statements from emergency services, doctors, and his mother Beverley Danan.
The statement from Mrs Danan said: “Paul helped so many people from all walks of life but just couldn’t help himself in the same way. His smiling face and love of life will always be remembered.”
Ms Rookes told the hearing there was no evidence that Danan, who suffered an accidental overdose in May 2024, had intended to take his own life. A previous hearing was told that no note was left by Danan.
Two months after his overdose, he told his GP that he’d had “suicidal ideation” but had no plans to act on these. He was subsequently placed under psychological care in the community. He also asked to be signed off work as he was too unwell to carry on working.
The coroner said: “Paul Danan was clearly much loved and is very much missed. Mr Danan had a long history of drug misuse and struggles with his mental health. His death was caused by a combination of drugs, both prescription and illicit.
“Paul had struggled with his mental health for many years. He had taken an overdose in May 2024 but he was adamant that this was accidental and he didn’t have any intention to end his life.
“Although he had occasional suicidal thoughts, he didn’t have any active plans. I don’t have any evidence before me that Paul intended to take his own life at this time. Therefore, the conclusion is misadventure.”
*Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email [email protected], message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.