Bonnie Tyler, the legendary Welsh singer known for power ballads like 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' and 'Holding Out for a Hero,' has died at the age of 75 following an illness treated at a hospital in Portugal. Her death has prompted fans to revisit her rare television appearances, including a notable cameo in the soap opera spin-off Hollyoaks Later.
Bonnie Tyler's Hollyoaks Later Cameo
In 2009, Tyler appeared in a dream sequence alongside actress Gemma Merna, who played Carmel McQueen on Hollyoaks. The pair performed a duet of Tyler's iconic hit 'Holding Out for a Hero.' The episode aired on October 2, 2009, and was part of the raunchier, edgier spin-off series Hollyoaks Later.
Tyler initially declined the role, feeling she was not an actress. She told PA at the time: 'They've asked me for a couple of years but I know I'm no actress. I'm comfortable singing in front of thousands of people but put me in a room where I have to act and it's so difficult for me. I'm like a fish out of water having to say any lines, which I did have to say. I was dying. But it worked out all right.'
Reaction from Co-Star
Gemma Merna described working with Tyler as one of her career highlights. She told Digital Spy: 'It was just amazing. It was just a bit surreal. Obviously everyone was just like, "Oh my God, Bonnie Tyler's here!" And we were behaving ourselves while she was there! It was the best day that I've had at Hollyoaks.'
Tyler's Legacy
Tyler's career spanned decades, with hits in the 1980s making her the first Welsh person to score a number one hit in the US. Her only other TV cameo was on 'Let's Sing and Dance for Comic Relief' in 2017. Hollyoaks airs Mondays to Wednesdays from 6am on Channel 4's streaming platform, or catch episodes on E4.
