[Hollyoaks](http://Hollyoaks spoilers: the village reels as Kyle Kelly takes his own life)__ have confirmed that actress Rachel Adedeji has quit her role as Lisa Loveday, just days after she accused the soap of backstage racism following their response to the Black Lives Matter movement. The former X Factor contestant has starred in the Channel 4 show since 2016 but made the decision to quit last year and her final scenes were filmed shortly before production was suspended due to lockdown.
A Hollyoaks spokesperson said, 'Rachel made the decision to leave Hollyoaks to pursue other opportunities earlier last year, which saddened us at Hollyoaks as she is one of the leading cast members in the show. However, the notice period did allow the writers time to give Lisa Loveday an extremely gripping exit storyline. Viewers will see this story play out later this year as her final scenes were filmed shortly before lockdown.'
'It had always been our intention for Rachel to leave the show after a period of time. She loved her time on Hollyoaks, and the exit storyline was openly discussed with the producers and her together in a collaborative format,' added a representative for the actress.
Last week, Rachel spoke out on social media about the soap’s 'performative and disingenuous' response to Black Lives Matter and recalled a number of backstage experiences.
She wrote, 'Did Black Lives Matter when I was told "You’re all the same" by a make up artist you employed, and remains in employment til this day? Did Black Lives Matter when a number of female black actors were forced to drastically change their hair, because if not, the viewers "would not be able to tell them apart"?'
A number of Rachel’s co-stars shared their support for her in the wake of her post, which has led Hollyoaks to conduct an internal investigation, but Lysette Anthony – who plays Marnie Nightingale – and Jesse Donovan actor Luke Jerdy feuded on Twitter over the accusations.
It all began after fans criticised Lysette for not supporting Rachel, and one of her followers wrote, '[You saying] nothing in support of @RachelASongs this week is really disappointing.' Lysette then said, 'Oh I will speak.. from a place of compassion and FACT... but I will NOT be bullied into safe, white, knee jerk rhetoric...'
Luke then jumped in and defended Rachel's claims. 'If you want some FACTS... feel free to DM me. I was there when one of the incidents with Rachel happened, I heard it with my own ears. We are now patiently waiting for a response from Hollyoaks. Check with your colleagues and reach out before tweeting this stuff. It’s hurtful,' he replied.
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