Dieter Brummer, who played the legendary character of handsome Shane Parrish on Home and Away, tragically passed away last week at the age of 45. But what happened to the other heartthrobs who gained popularity on the soap operas?
After the actor Dieter Brummer passed away at the age of 45, fans of soap operas paid tribute to him.
Between 1992 and 1996, the TV star adorned many a teenage bedroom as Shane Parrish of Summer Bay.
In later years, after leaving Home and Away to explore life away from the spotlight, he turned his back on show business and started working as a window cleaner.
But what happened to the other 1990s soap opera hunks? The Daily Star has taken a trip down memory lane by examining the current whereabouts of the biggest soap hunks, including Craig MacLachlan from Neighbours and Adam Rickitt from Hollyoaks.
Ryder, Jack
When Jack debuted as Phil Mitchell’s godson Jamie Mitchell in 1998 as EastEnders’ resident Leonardo DiCaprio impersonator, hearts began to race.
Martin Fowler ran over Jamie, who had a tumultuous romance with Sonia Jackson (Natalie Cassidy).
In 2002, Jack left the soap opera and wed Kym Marsh, a singer for the band Hear’say. However, the couple divorced in 2009.
Although he received roles in Kay Mellor’s In The Club in 2016 and on Holby City in 2019, he has said that leaving Walford was difficult for him and that he had anticipated receiving more offers.
But he has evolved into a theatre and film director, working on productions like the Broadway play The Full Monty.
Jack, who published his first children’s book in 2020, is now 39 years old and welcomed his first child with partner Ella this year.
John Danan
Between 1997 and 2001, Paul played Sol Patrick, the bad boy of Hollyoaks.
Following his departure, he was cast in the first and second seasons of the original Love Island, living in a villa with Calum Best, Fran Cosgrave, and Abi Titmuss, among others.
However, he developed a reputation for being erratic, and after one tantrum, security guards had to eject him from the villa.
Paul later participated in Celebrity Big Brother in 2017 and filmed the one-off series Calum, Fran, and Dangerous Danan, when he got into a drunken argument with Calum.
He went on The Jeremy Kyle Show in 2019 to talk about his struggle with alcohol and drugs. He revealed that he had attended rehab 17 times and had almost died after taking heroin.
Paul, 43, who now resides in Hertfordshire and has a son named Deniro, is the director of a neighbourhood youth acting group.
Rickitt, Adam
Adam, the oldest child of Gail Platt and a disturbed teen named Nick Tilsley, first walked the Corrie cobbles in 1997.
He left the soap opera in 1999 to pursue a career in pop music, but when his debut album didn’t do well, his record label fired him.
In 2003 and 2004, he made a comeback to Corrie, where he shared Todd Grimshaw in the show’s first openly gay kiss.
He made an unsuccessful campaign to become a Tory MP in 2005, and in 2007 he joined the New Zealand soap opera Shorthand Street.
He joined the supergroup 5th Story in 2014, and they participated in the second season of The Big Reunion.
Adam, 43, recently played Kyle Kelly in Hollyoaks. He is married to Good Morning Britain host Katy Fawcett.
McLachlan, Craig
Craig played Henry Ramsay in Neighbours from 1987 to 1989, but he only made it onto our list of 90s stars because of his appearances in Home and Away from 1990 to 1991.
He had hits as a vocalist, such as Mona, and performed frequently on stage and on Australian television during the 1990s and 2000s.
After being accused by four women of indecent and common assault during the 2014 Rocky Horror Show in Melbourne, Craig was exonerated of the charge in December.
He has had two marriages and one son, who is now 55 years old.
Lucy, Gary
After guest spots on Grange Hill and the football drama Dream Team, Gary transformed into a true soap heartthrob when he was chosen to play Luke Morgan in Hollyoaks in 1999.
He was praised for his portrayal in a groundbreaking male rape storyline and won a British Soap Award for it, but he left the programme in 2000.
After having appearances in The Bill and EastEnders, Gary went on to star as Kyle Pascoe in the obscene ITV drama Footballers’ Wives from 2002 to 2005.
The actress, who has appeared on Dancing on Ice before, returned to Hollyoaks in 2017 and continues to play the part now.
After four years of marriage, the 39-year-old father of four separated from his wife Natasha in 2018.
Nicholls, Paul
Paul debuted in EastEnders in 1996 as the disturbed son of David Wicks, Joe, and had a compelling schizophrenia plotline.
After leaving Albert Square in 1997, he went on to appear in a number of television programmes, including Holby City, Law & Order: UK, Ackley Bridge, and Secret Diary of a Call Girl with Billie Piper.
Paul additionally made an appearance on the big screen as heroin dealer Jed in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.
The 42-year-old, who has already gone through one divorce, made headlines in 2017 when he nearly passed away after being stuck for three days with a broken leg in a pool of rocks in Thailand.
He disclosed earlier this year that he had a stroke in 2018, which led to depression and a drug addiction, but that he was now in recovery and attending Narcotics Anonymous sessions.
Michaelson, Scott
Scott, who is now 52, played surfer Brad Willis on Neighbours from 1991 to 1993. One of his storylines involved becoming engaged to Natalie Imbruglia’s Beth Brennan.
He also made an appearance in The New Adventures of Flipper and the New Zealand television programme Shortland Street.
However, he made the decision to leave the spotlight behind at the height of his fame and remake himself as a businessman and talent manager.
With Holly Valance, who he assisted in securing the role of Flick Scully on Neighbours in 1999 as well as a later music career, Scott had his greatest success.
But when they split, they found themselves embroiled in legal disputes. Scott, 52, is now in charge of estate agents.
Kwanten, Ryan
The 44-year-old Australian actor, who portrayed Vinnie Patterson on Home and Away from 1997 to 2002, married Leah (Ada Nicodemou) before being forced to leave the show under a witness protection programme.
Ryan continued to appear often in films and television shows, most notably portraying Jason Stackhouse in True Blood and most recently appearing in the upcoming Amazon Prime horror film Them.