Hollyoaks' first star to be killed off in tragic death has very different career now

Former Hollyoaks actress Shebah Ronay, who made her debut as Natasha Andersen nearly three decades ago, now has a completely different career.

The TV star was the original poster girl for the Channel 4 soap - glamorous, feisty and beautiful. She was also the first regular character to be killed off in a dramatic drug overdose scene in March 1996 when her drink was spiked with ecstasy at a house party.

She first appeared on-screen during the episode aired on 23 October 1995, and Natasha's death was announced in January 1996.

At the time, it was described as a "sensational scene in an attempt to boost ratings" aimed at boosting ratings, marking a departure from the "softer stories about teen romances and spots".

In its first year on air, the soap received criticism for not featuring any issue-led storylines and was labelled as soft. This led producers to develop a hard-hitting storyline involving Natasha, which culminated in her death due to drug use.

The storyline made front-page news and marked a turning point for the soap as they began to tackle more serious issues, reports the Mirror.

Speaking about Natasha's exit at the time, show creator Phil Redmond said: "Natasha's death depicts the stark reality of unnecessary death coming very close to one group of friendly and fun-loving people for the first time in their lives and how this is bound to change their outlook in many ways".

While Shebah's departure as Natasha from Hollyoaks gave the show's producers the confidence to tackle more challenging storylines, she didn't remain in the acting industry for long. After her stint on the show, she appeared in the short film The Things We Do For Love before shifting her focus to modelling, presenting, and journalism.

Shebah