Back in the 1990s, young soap stars were the pin-ups of the decade.
From EastEnders ’ Paul Nicholls to Hollyoaks hunk Will Mellor, teenage girls across the country had posters of them plastered all over their bedroom walls.
After almost two decades, we take a look at what our heartthrobs are doing now…
Paul Nicholls
The actor, real name Gerard Paul Greenhalgh, made his telly debut in 1990 on the CITV series Children's Ward, but it was his next role that catapulted him to stardom.
He joined EastEnders in 1996, playing Joe Wicks who lived with schizophrenia, and he soon won over millions of adoring fans.
At the age of 16, he was voted TV’s sexiest actor - TWICE - and was rumoured to have enjoyed brief relationships with his co-stars, including Martine McCutcheon and Daniella Westbrook.
Paul quit the BBC One soap in 1998 after playing Joe for two years, and went on to land roles in shows such as Holby City, Waterloo Road, and Law and Order: UK.
He later admitted he struggled with depression, alcohol and drugs, and that played a part in his decision to quit Albert Square.
In 2012, Paul married Scottish model Chantal Brown, but the pair sadly split in 2015.
During an appearance on Loose Women in 2016, the actor spoke about his cancer scare, after he lost his voice for a few months, and doctors found a benign tumour in his throat.
He made a full recovery but was hit with another bout of bad luck once again.
In 2017, he detailed his terrifying experience of being trapped in a Thai rock pool with an injured leg and revealed he was close to death.
Gary Lucy
Gary made his first impression on the hearts of teenagers across the nation thanks to his portrayal of Luke Morgan in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks in 1999.
His character was involved in a groundbreaking male rape storyline, and while Gary decided to leave the show in 2001, he has returned to Hollyoaks several times over the years, with his most recent appearance in 2022, when Luke was killed off.
Gary then landed a role on the ITV drama Footballer’s Wives, playing hunky striker Kyle Pascoe for two years.
He then channel-hopped to BBC, playing Danny Pennant in EastEnders, before returning to ITV for a role as DC Will Fletcher in The Bill.
Gary decided on a new career path in 2010, when he took part in ITV’s Dancing on Ice and finished second to eventual winner Hayley Tamaddon.
In 2014, he married Natasha Gray, and the couple share four children together - daughters India Jasmine and Sadie and sons Elvis and Theodore.
However, they split “mutually and amicably” in November 2018 after 10 years together, and Gary has since been linked to a series of beautiful women.
Most recently, he began dating former Love Island star Laura Anderson, and the couple announced she was expecting their first child together earlier this year.
But the couple soon parted ways, and have been embroiled in a bitter war of words over social media ahead of the birth of their baby.
Adam Rickitt
Adam first shot to fame in 1997, when he took over the role of Nick Tilsley in Coronation Street.
His character soon began to ruffle a few feathers, and he left in 1999, before making a return in 2003, where he made history when Nick was involved in the ITV soap’s first-ever gay kiss.
Adam also enjoyed a short-lived music career away from the cobbles and even signed a six-album deal with Polydor.
His iconic 90s dance classic I Breathe Again was his one and only hit, and he returned to acting, making his debut in Hollyoaks in 2017 as Kyle Kelly.
Adam left in 2020 when his character sadly took his own life following a debilitating battle with depression.
In 2014, Adam wed Good Morning Britain presenter Katy Fawcett, and the couple bought a shop that sells craft beer and gin at the end of 2019.
The former teen hunk hit the headlines for the wrong reasons in 2020 when he was caught drunk driving.
He had been caught by the police while making a 600-metre trip home in his car after picking up a takeaway and was banned from driving for 17 months.
Will Mellor
Another Hollyoaks hunk adorning our bedroom walls.
This time, it’s Will Mellor, who shot to fame playing James ‘Jambo’ Bolton in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks when the show launched in 1995.
The Stockport-born star then flexed his comedy muscles with his portrayal of Gaz in the BBC Three show Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, which also starred Ralf Little.
After the show ended, Will went on to star in shows including Waterloo Road, Merlin and Broadchurch, and eventually headed to ITV for his role as drug lord Harvey in Coronation Street.
He was back in the limelight last year after debuting his lithe hips on Strictly Come Dancing, and despite being one of the favourites to win, he lost out to eventual champion Hamza Yassin.
Away from the limelight, Will wed dancer Michelle McSween in 2007, after dating since 1999, and the couple share two children - son, Jayden, and daughter Renee.
He also has a podcast with former co-star Ralf Little, called Two Pints with Will & Ralf.
Michael Greco
Michael made his debut as ladies’ man Beppe di Marco on EastEnders back in 1998, and he was adored by millions of swooning viewers.
The actor left the show in 2002 and has appeared in shows including Casualty, and landed roles in stage shows such as Aladdin.
Michael also appeared in the movie Naked in London alongside fellow EastEnders veteran Jake Maskall and was most recently spotted by excited fans in the Netflix drama Queen Cleopatra.
Off-screen, Michael has had a tumultuous personal life, and he appeared on Loose Women last year to share details of his baby son’s heartbreaking condition.
Most recently he popped up in Holby City leaving fans of the axed BBC One show gobsmacked. Michael made the surprise cameo in the drama back in January taking on the role of a man called Antony, who finds out his son Harry needs heart surgery.
He broke down when discussing his son Gianluca, who was born six weeks prematurely in 2021 and was diagnosed with gastroschisis, meaning his intestines had developed outside his body.
Jack Ryder
The ultimate soap hunk pin-up was the one, the only… Jack Ryder.
He won over millions of girls - and boys - with his blonde curtains and baby-faced good looks when he appeared as Jamie Mitchell on EastEnders, aged just 17, back in 1998.
Viewers were left devastated when his character was killed off in 2002 after being involved in a car accident, and he’s since moved on from acting.
Now, he’s an acting coach and gives tips to budding thespians on Facebook and Instagram.
“If you forget a line, which every actor does, don’t snap out of it too quickly. There is often something in that silence that a director or even an audience will lean into and draw from. Have the power moving forward in securing yourself in that,” he said in one tutorial.
Jack is now a film and theatre director and even published a children’s book in 2020.
He was also married to former pop star Kym Marsh, and the couple tied the knot in 2002, only for them to call time on their relationship in 2008.
Since then, he’s welcomed a daughter with partner Ella, and now splits his time between London and France.
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