Hollyoaks’ James Sutton wants love amid having 'real issue with dating apps'
Hollyoaks alum James Sutton has been single for 18 months, and he is craving "a cuddle on an evening".
Hollyoaks alum James Sutton is craving love.
The 43-year-old actor wants to find his soulmate after 18 months of single life, but admits dating apps are making finding romance "difficult".
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz at a screening of OFTV’s Race of Wits at London’s Shoreditch Arts Club on August 19, James said: "It's the evenings. When you're like, 'F***, it'd be really nice to have a cuddle on an evening.' That's when I think, 'Oh, f***. I'd like to meet someone.'"
James has dipped his toe back in the dating pool after his and Rachael Collin’s five-year marriage ended in 2023.
But the modern dating landscape has proved "tough" for the John Paul McQueen performer.
James has a "real issue with dating apps" but believes approaching someone in real life can be just as "difficult".
He said: "The historical way of dating, where you would go out and meet someone in a bar or a club and stuff, like I would never approach someone in a bar anymore.
"You just wouldn't do that. I wouldn't want to feel predatory, and I wouldn't want to feel like I was kind of imposing on somebody. And I think that's a legitimate concern these days for a lot of men."
The Emmerdale alum thinks dating apps have made it more challenging to form genuine human connections.
James explained: "I think as a society, human connection has really fallen away. We've swapped connection, community and conversation for iPhones, for screens.
"So when we look at dating and when we look at meeting new people, we're trying to form a deeper connection with somebody who perhaps isn't used to that.
"We're not used to meeting new people as often as we used to. All the places that we used to historically go and meet people, they don't really exist anymore. And when you go to pubs, it's very, very different now."
James feels "reduced to being on dating apps", and he is "not having a nice time" on them.
He added: "By their design, they are not incentivised to help you find love.
"That's a really bad business model for a dating app, to help you get off the app. They want you to stay on the app, and they want you to keep spending money on the app.
"So the people that they show you and the people that they show your profile to are not necessarily the people that you're going to match with.
"So I don't think anyone's having a nice time on a dating app."
However, single life has fuelled the soap star-turned-OnlyFans content creator’s career, throwing him more into work.
James said: "I've been single now for 18 months, and my output has been insane. And the work that I'm doing has been so productive, and I'm so ambitious and I'm working so hard that it becomes unreasonable."
But, ultimately, the entertainer does not see the point in living a "fulfilled" and successful life if he does not end up finding love.
James said: "I actually published a letter on this about a month or so ago. Like, what are we doing? What are we optimising everything for if it's not for love?
"Love has to be the goal: to love and be loved. And if you're doing all of this amazing stuff, and you're having this career, and you're being so fulfilled and ambitious, and you're healthy and you're being of service, if that doesn't result in you finding love, then what's the point?"
In April, he launched his $15.99 per month OnlyFans page where he shares fitness training, wellness and personal development content.
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.
