Bonnie Tyler, the legendary singer behind hits like Total Eclipse of the Heart and Holding Out for a Hero, passed away at age 75 after battling an illness. While her music career defined her legacy, soap opera fans may recall her memorable appearance in a 2009 episode of Hollyoaks Later, the spin-off of the Channel 4 soap that aired from 2008 to 2013 and returned in 2025.
Dream sequence with Carmel McQueen
In the season 2 episode, Tyler appeared as a fairy godmother in a dream sequence featuring Carmel McQueen (Gemma Merna). The dream occurred after Carmel was arrested when an undercover officer mistook her for a prostitute. Tyler performed a duet of Holding Out for a Hero with Merna in the scene.
Tyler had been invited to take on an acting role in the show before but turned it down. However, when offered a musical part, she accepted. 'They've asked me for a couple of years but I know I'm no actress,' she told PA at the time. '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.'
Gemma Merna recalls the experience
Actress Gemma Merna described working with Tyler as a surreal highlight. '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!' Merna told Digital Spy. She added that it was the 'best day' she'd had at Hollyoaks.
