Hollyoaks star Nathaniel Dass, who plays Dillon Ray on the Channel 4 soap, confirmed he was leaving the role as his final scenes aired without warning on Monday

One Hollyoaks star confessed they were "absolutely gutted" as their final scenes aired on Monday.

Nathaniel Dass bowed out of the Channel 4 soap during the latest episode in a surprise twist fans did not see coming. Things got emotional as Dillon Ray said goodbye to his on-off boyfriend Lucas Hay (Oscar Curtis).

The pair had won over viewers with their romance, dubbed HayRay, only for Dillon to leave the village for good this week. Actor Nathaniel has now broken his silence over his abrupt and unexpected soap exit, confirming his departure.

Admitting he was "gutted" that he wouldn't see his soap pals every day anymore now that he had finished filming, the actor said he was "ready to see the world". But he confessed he could return one day, after three years on the show.

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He said: "It’s been three years for me, and I’m absolutely gutted that every day I won’t be able to come in and see everyone. I’ve built so many amazing relationships here, so I’m really sad about that and I’m going to miss playing Dillon.

"He’s a character I’ve been with for three years, but also, I am ready to go see the world and play other characters. But who knows, maybe one day I’ll get to play Dillon again."

On his reaction to his emotional exit storyline, the star was happy with it. He said: "I thought my exit was lovely, I got some really beautiful scenes with Oscar, Anya and the Maalik/Clarke family, which was a really nice way to end my Hollyoaks time here."

He also shared his thoughts on how HayRay fans might react to the sad news of his soap departure. He shared: "Dillon tries to break Lucas out of prison, and realises very quickly that without Lucas, he doesn’t have much left for him in the village.

"So it may come as a surprise to some people." Nathaniel has loved his time on the show though, saying: "Hollyoaks has been a massive part of me growing up.

"I joined when I was 20, I’m 23 now, when I first joined I still felt like I was 15 years old, moving to Liverpool and being here has really taught me a lot and I’ve grown up and come out with a new relationship, new friendships which is amazing. I think I’ve just come out of it as a bit more of a better person."

Hollyoaks is available to stream on Channel 4's streaming service now, while it also airs Mondays to Wednesdays on E4 at 7PM. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .