\'Hollyoaks\' couple John Paul McQueen and Craig Dean won\'t be reuniting on screen.
James Sutton is set to reprise his role as John Paul when he returns to the Channel 4 soap this week, but his co-star Guy Burnet has decided against a comeback of his own, meaning the characters - who first got together in 2007 - will have to break up.
Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood told Inside Soap magazine: "If an actor doesn\'t want to come back, there\'s not much you can do about it.
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"Guy Burnet is so loved by us at \'Hollyoaks\', he\'s still in touch with many of the cast - but he doesn\'t want to return, and James does. We\'d be fools not to take James up on that offer."
Bryan also predicted that John Paul and Craig will have "a lifetime of tortured romance", with many ups and downs.
He said: "In terms of John Paul and Craig, I see them having a lifetime of tortured romance - that will inevitably mean the occasional break-up."
The soap boss opened up about his excitement over James\' return as John Paul, expressing his hopes the alter ego will help reunite the McQueen family.
He explained: "John Paul is one of our most-loved characters of all time. The McQueens are in a bit of a sorry state right now - it\'s just Goldie and Sally in that big house, so one of John Paul\'s jobs will be to bring back the disparate McQueens.
"He\'s one of the original members of that family, and he always brings with him a story that has breath-taking success."
17 April 2026 - 5:25 AM
