Inquest verdict Tragic Hollyoaks star 'just couldn't help himself'

THE death of Hollyoaks and reality TV star Paul Danan from a cocktail of drugs including cocaine and heroin was misadventure, a coroner has concluded.

- by COURT REPORTER

Danan, 46, played bad boy Sol Patrick from 1997 to 2001 on the Channel 4 soap and was later known for his reality TV appearances, including on Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity Love Island.

An inquest into his death was held at Avon Coroner's Court in Flax Bourton, before Assistant Coroner Debbie Rookes yesterday.

The hearing was told how Danan was found unresponsive sitting on the sofa in front of the television at his home in the Grade-II listed Long Fox Manor - a former asylum now converted into luxury flats - on the Bath Road in Brislington at the time of his death on January 15.

Emergency services attended the scene and confirmed that he had died. His body was identified there by his partner, Melissa Crooks.

A postmortem examination concluded that his death was due to combined toxicity of heroin, methadone, codeine, pregabalin, cocaine and zopiclone, contributed to by benzodiazepine use.

Ms Rookes reached a conclusion that Danan had died by misadventure after hearing written statements from emergency services, doctors, and his mother Beverley Danan.

The statement from Mrs Danan said: "Paul helped so many people from all walks of life but just couldn't help himself in the same way.