Hollyoaks' James Sutton broke down in Tesco cheese aisle after realising his happiness after turbulent period
Hollyoaks alum James Sutton got emotional after realising he felt happy every day for two months after a turbulent period following the Covid-19 pandemic, when he struggled with drugs, alcohol, his diet and his fitness.
Hollyoaks alum James Sutton "got a bit teary" in the Tesco cheese aisle after realising he had felt happy every day for two months.
The 43-year-old actor said the emotional moment came after a turbulent period following the COVID-19 pandemic, when he struggled with drugs, alcohol, his diet and his fitness.
James - who played John Paul McQueen in the Channel 4 soap on-and-off from 2006 until 2026 - exclusively told BANG Showbiz at a screening of OFTV's Race of Wits at Shoreditch Arts Club on August 19: "I'm in a great place.
"I actually got really emotional in Tesco a few weeks ago. I realised that I'd been happy. I'd felt happy every day consistently for, like, two months. Every day I'd felt happy.
"I don't know if that's a universal thing, but I was like, 'F****** hell. Like, this is unusual.'
"So I got a bit teary in the cheese aisle in Tesco."
The star has previously spoken about using cocaine and alcohol during his time on Hollyoaks to cope with the pressures of fame, before his addiction spiralled during lockdown and prompted him to turn his life around and get clean.
James said he has "been on a hell of a journey" over the past five years, which have completely transformed his life, admitting he came out of the pandemic in "very, very poor health, physically and mentally".
The former Emmerdale cast member added: "I was not in a good place. Drugs, alcohol, diet, lack of fitness. I was lazy, complacent, arrogant, not someone that you would necessarily want to be around.
"So the journey that I've had from sort of 2021 to now has allowed me to tell this story and to show people this journey."
James launched his $15.99 per month OnlyFans page in April, where he shares fitness training, wellness and personal development content, and he credits the online subscription platform with helping transform his confidence, admitting he had never felt comfortable with his looks.
The entertainer said: "It's made me feel a lot more confident. I’ve never had much body confidence, which is ironic, given that I was on Hollyoaks, which was primarily known as a sexy show. It's a strange thing to say.
"But I never felt particularly desirable or attractive. I'd never put much thought or effort into the way that I looked. I didn't train hard or anything.
"So going on to a platform like OF, where there is, as much as I talk about the conversations and the connections that I made and the community that I'm building, there is, of course, also a visual side to that.
"So I have to hold myself to a certain standard that I've set for myself. I want to look good on that platform. I like feeling sexy, I like feeling desirable. I'm a 43-year-old man. This is a new thing for me."
James said taking care of his body has had a positive impact on his mental health.
He said: "The kind of byproduct of being on the platform is that I take really, really good care of myself, and if you have a healthy body, you're more likely to have a healthy mind as well.
"So there's this kind of beautiful, symbiotic relationship between looking after one's body and one's mental health.
"So running a really positive OF platform where, yes, I have all these conversations and these connections and stuff, but also I promote positive body image and self-confidence as a 43-year-old man, it's really good for me on not just a physical, but also a mental level as well."
James said his experience has given him a platform to show that change is possible.
He said: "In a way, OnlyFans and being able to run this platform and show this side of myself and be sexy and show off the way that I look and the person that I am is a testament to the journey that I've been on and the things that I've put in place and the things that I talk about.
"I speak at men's groups, and I interact with men directly. And I try and explain to them the journey that I've been on and the systems and the structures that I've put in place that have allowed me to make this transition and to try and make people aware, especially men, that it's all achievable, it’s all possible.
"You just have to start small and make tiny little changes and keep little promises to yourself."
James is proud of the person he has become and the work he is now doing.
He said: "I wake up every day and I feel excited and I'm calm and I’m peaceful, and I'm ambitious, and I feel driven, and I feel aligned with what I'm doing. And I love helping men, and I love being of service, and I love having body confidence and being on OF.
"I have never felt as healthy and as happy as I do right now, and that makes me really f****** proud knowing that five years ago that was not the case."
James appears on Race of Wits, a new show on OFTV, an OnlyFans free-to-view safe-for-work streaming platform.
OFTV has more than 20 original series featuring celebrities and household name creators. Stream by downloading the OFTV app or heading to of.tv.
