How Vernon failed to muscle in on a soap
I’m A Celeb star’s vest seen as turn-off at Hollyoaks
Vernon Kay’s acting dreams hit the skids – when he flunked an audition for Hollyoaks.
Talk TV can reveal how the presenter tried to land a part on the Channel 4 soap, but failed to impress bosses thanks to his outfit.
They thought he was too “posey” when he turned up in a vest in an attempt to look muscular.
Former Hollyoaks star James Redmond reveals that Vernon tried out for the role of Rory “Finn” Finnigan, who James ended up playing from 1997 to 2002.
He explains: “I went up there with Vernon Kay. We went up together and auditioned for Finn.
“There was hundreds of us in this room. It was funny because the brief was, ‘He’s a bit of a hunk but he doesn’t know it’. I just thought, ‘I don’t know what that means really’.”
So while James, now 49, rocked a more relaxed look for the audition, Vernon lost out for trying too hard.
Speaking on podcast The Morning After with Paul Danan, James says: “Because they said ‘ hunk’, everyone else, including Vernon, who was even skinnier than me, turned up in a baggy vest trying to look muscly.
“And it was just a bit posey in there. When I did my bit in front of creator Phil Redmond, they were saying, ‘ We like that you were just being yourself, not trying to be this posey guy’.” Vernon, 46, appeared as an extra in the first episode of Hollyoaks in October 1995 and again in January 2004 but was never deemed good enough to get a permanent role.
The rejection didn’t do Bolton-born Vernon’s career much harm though.
He went on to present Channel 4’s T4 before fronting game show Family Fortunes and Splash! for ITV.
After a few years in the telly wilderness, he was back on screen for the recent I’m A Celebrity series – coming third to Giovanna Fletcher, 35, and Jordan North, 30.
He won over viewers with his caring nature – and his successes in difficult tasks such as The Cyclone.
Telly insiders have tipped Vernon – wed to Strictly Come Dancing presenter Tess Daly, 51 – to make a comeback on the back of his I’m A Celeb success.
He could even front a prime-time TV show once again.