Paul Danan in 2016Soap actor and reality star Paul Danan died from the combined effects of illegal and prescription drugs, a coroner’s report found this week.
Paul, best known for his portrayal of Sol Patrick in Hollyoaks, as well as his later stints on Celebrity Big Brother and an early incarnation of Love Island, died in January at his home in Bristol, England, at the age of 46.
The BBC reported that coroners had concluded Paul’s death “was due to combined toxicity of heroin, methadone, codeine, pregabalin, cocaine and zopiclone, contributed to by benzodiazepine use”.
Assistant coroner Deborah Rookes deemed the actor’s death a “misadventure”, noting on Wednesday there was no evidence he “intended to take his own life at this time”.
“Mr. Danan had a long history of drug misuse and struggles with his mental health,” she said. “His death was caused by a combination of drugs, both prescription and illicit.”
Paul is survived by his nine-year-old son, DeNiro.
Born to a Moroccan Jewish family in Essex, England, Paul rose to prominence when he landed the part of Sol Patrick on Hollyoaks in 1997. After his four-season run on the show, he appeared in the TV movie Daddy’s Girl and the children’s series The Queen’s Nose, among other projects.
Paul Danan leaving the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2017In 2005, he shifted his focus to reality television, appearing on the first two seasons of Celebrity Love Island. He was also a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother in 2017.
Over the years, Paul had become increasingly vocal about his own experiences with addiction. In 2020, he co-founded Morning After Drama, an advocacy group aimed at helping people work through trauma and addiction-related issues through acting and improv.
Paul’s death came about six months after he was hospitalised for respiratory failure, which he later confirmed was the result of excessive vaping.
“I’m upstairs puffing away on my vape then suddenly I lost my breath and collapsed,” he told The Sun in June of last year.
“My family called for an ambulance and started giving me CPR, then police arrived and took over before paramedics took me to hospital. I was on a machine in ICU and ended up with pneumonia. My family were warned I might not make it through the night. I’m so lucky.”
Paul also told the outlet he’d come away from the incident determined to lead a healthier lifestyle.
“I feel like a different person and I’m ready to kick on with my career,” he explained. “I’m in the best place mentally I’ve been for ages and can’t wait to see what’s around the corner.”
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