From heated Love Island confrontations to shouting matches with Sarah Harding: Paul Danan’s most memorable TV moments after his death aged 46

Paul Danan rose to fame as Sol Patrick in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, but it was often his TV moments as himself that he became best known for.

The actor’s death was announced on Thursday by his management, who said: ‘It is with heavy hearts that we share the tragic news of the passing of @pauldanan at just 46 years old.’

‘Paul was known for his television presence, exceptional talent and unwavering kindness and was a beacon of light to many.

“His untimely departure will leave irreplaceable voids in the lives of all who knew him.

‘During this difficult time, we kindly ask for respect and privacy for Paul’s family, friends and colleagues. No further comment will be made at this time.”

Paul became known over the years for his appearances in various reality shows, including the first series of Love Island and his own show with Calum Best and Fran Cosgrave.

In later years he appeared on Celebrity Big Brother – where he famously fell out with eventual winner Sarah Harding – and claimed he needed therapy after taking part in Celebrity Coach Trip in 2022.

Paul took part in the first series of Celebrity Love Islad in 2005, alongside Abi Titmuss, Rebecca Loos and Calum Best.

During his time on the show, Paul fell out with Fran Cosgrave, a nightclub manager and a former manager of Westlife.

Fran took issue with Paul – who became known as ‘Dangeorus Danan’ for his antics – over drunken comments he made about some female islanders.

Speak with ShameFran said, “When I came out, my mom said, ‘I’m so glad you didn’t hit that boy.’

“He got right in my face, but then security separated us. He screamed and blinded as he was dragged away.”

At one point, Paul became so violent that some other islanders reportedly refused to sleep in the same room as him.

Paul later admitted on the Teenage Diary Podcast that he suffered from drug withdrawal during the show.

“I remember crawling to the beach hut the first few days and shivering and shaking, saying, ‘Oh my God, I don’t know what’s wrong with me,'” he said.

The actor also had a flirty relationship with glamor model Abi during the show and was seen holding her breasts while in bed together.

Paul and Fran eventually made up when, along with Calum Best, they appeared in the ITV2 show Calum, Fran and Dangerous Danan in 2006.

The series followed the trio as they traveled from Texas to Los Angeles via US Route 66.

It was in this series that Paul finally faced off against Calum when the pair got into a drunken fight with punches thrown.

In a scene from the show, Paul punched Calum in the face while they were in a bar. They were later seen pushing and shoving each other outside.

Paul shouted, ‘Who do you think you are? I’ll kill you while they were arguing.

Another of Paul’s most memorable TV moments came more than a decade later when he appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2017.

The soap star got into a row with Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding after fellow housemate Brandi Glanville told him: “Sarah said you were taking a pill,” apparently referring to a painkiller.

Paul, who has been open about his battle with drug addiction, became furious and confronted Sarah who was in the smoking area in the garden.

“Never insinuate a pill I’m taking,” he said. ‘Never say, predict, assume or insinuate that I am taking a tablet.’

“You need to calm down,” Sarah said.

“How dare you sink so low, what’s your damn problem? How dare you, you’re bloody out of order.’

“I didn’t say anything,” Sarah said.

“I just heard it from five people,” Paul shouted. “Don’t you dare do that, you’re not fucking okay. Want to hit low? Go below the belt?

[You ain’t got a f***ing clue. I’m the one that’s clean and sober, what the f**k are you doing?’

Paul became the fifth housemate evicted on Day 18 while Sarah went on to win the show. She died of breast cancer aged 39 in 2021. 

One of his last reality TV appearances was Celebrity Coach Trip in 2022. 

The series featured a variety of celebrity couples on a 10-day tour, the couples get to vote off the other couples that they do not get along with.

Paul admitted he was left needed therapy after the show, saying: ‘I had to get a bit of counselling. It taps into a lot of stuff – like rejection. It’s brutal.’    

Paul reflected on his wild younger days during an interview on The Dozen With Liam Tuffs podcast. 

Paul spoke about his many flings and estimated he has slept with over one thousand women.

Asked how many women he has slept with, he replied: ‘I don’t know. I think we’re definitely in the higher range. More than a thousand, yeah.’   

Prior to his death, Paul had been running his Morning After Drama group and prison workshops which help those struggling with addiction and mental health issues.

In November he was also pictured arriving at Bristol Magistrates Court.

His last Instagram post, shared on January 9, showed Paul filming himself performing a scene from the William Shakespear paly Twelfth Night.

He captioned the post: ‘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 in to tackling his work. It’s an amazing experience! I forget sometimes how much i need to be awoken…’

In December, Paul also hosted a TikTok Live where he discussed his struggles with mental health, in a bid to raise money for his charity The Other Side Of Morning CIC, which aimed to build ‘more community projects around the UK for people struggling with their mental health.’