Following the sad news of Bonnie Tyler's death, former Hollyoaks star Gemma Merna has remembered the music icon's famous cameo on the soap. The Welsh singer's death at the age of 75 was announced yesterday, leading to an outpouring of tributes.
Among them is Gemma, who played Carmel McQueen on the soap, sharing a clip of Bonnie's 2009 cameo on Hollyoaks Later as part of a dream sequence for the character. In it, Carmel and Bonnie sang a duet of hit song 'Holding Out for a Hero'.
"I was so saddened to hear the news today," Gemma wrote on Instagram in a joint post with Hollie-Jay Bowes (Michaela McQueen). "Some moments in life stay with you forever… and this will always be one of mine."
The star called working with the singer "genuinely one of the best days" of her life, adding that "to share the screen with someone so incredibly talented and iconic felt like a dream come true".
"But what I’ll remember the most isn’t just her voice or her incredible career… it’s her," she continued, recalling that they spent time together filming and during the press day, sharing that they "chatted for hours", "laughed so much", and that Bonnie made her "feel completely at ease".
"She was so generous with her time, shared some wonderful advice with me, and was one of the warmest, kindest people I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting," Gemma added.
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"Watching this footage today fills my heart with so much gratitude. It may not be the best quality, but the memory means more than I could ever put into words.
"Thank you, Bonnie, for your kindness, your talent, and for giving me a memory I’ll treasure forever. Sending so much love to your family, friends, and everyone whose lives you touched."
Hollie-Jay added in the comments: "She was so lovely!!! Mega memory… even if I couldn’t dance and the choreographer had to put my wig on. fly high Bonnie Queen."
In the original statement announcing her death, the singer's website said: "Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for.
"We will issue a further statement shortly but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy."
Hollyoaks airs on Mondays-Wednesdays with its Channel 4 streaming premiere at 7am, then an E4 broadcast the same night at 7pm. Full episodes are also released on YouTube a week after their Channel 4 release.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
