Kéllé Bryan has opened up on the positive changes she has seen thanks to Hollyoaks' unconscious bias episode which aired last year.
In April 2021, an episode of the hit Channel 4 soap aired which showed the unconscious bias that Kéllé's character Martine Deveraux faces as a Black woman in the UK.
The episode was praised for showing the subtle ways in which Martine is discriminated again in every day life, including a free make-up sample not matching her skin tone, a delivery man assuming she was not the manager of her shop, and being told she was "aggressive" for speaking out on injustices.
And Kéllé, 46, tells OK! that while the episode was hard to film, she has seen good come from it.
She says: "It was very emotional but extremely meaningful, and the amount of things that changed as a result of doing that episode. Boots now stock plasters that are all different shades."
Speaking about her time at Hollyoaks – in which she has starred since 2018 – the Loose Women panellist added: "It’s just brilliant. It’s changed my life in so many ways.
"I’ve been very fortunate to get some really gritty storylines and to work alongside the writing team. And I’ve had a credit as a script consultant.
"I’ve been able to do things I’m really proud of. Hollyoaks is very experimental and diverse, so you can suggest things, and before you know it there’s a team of people running with that story idea.
"Being involved in Black To Front Day was amazing. It was the first day historically where everything on the channel was taken over by Black presenters and actors – it was surreal.
"I’ve been involved in some really historical moments that I’m very proud of."
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Kéllé also told OK! how she removed her former girl group, Eternal, from her CV in the hope of being taken more seriously as an actor.
She explained: "Not a lot of people know I was an actor before I was a singer.
"I’d done that before I was in Eternal, but that didn’t matter because the band obliterated everything I’d ever done. I’d walk into a room and I’d only ever be Kéllé from Eternal.
"It was daunting but I was willing, and I think that’s what gave me credibility with casting directors.
"I showed I wasn’t just looking for a leg up because I’d had profile from another part of the industry."
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