WHILST they are best known for their time on screen as popular soap stars, you may be surprised to learn that some of our acting favourites had secret singing careers.

From releasing their own singles to high-profile TV spots, a raft of stars from Coronation Street, EastEnders and Hollyoaks have had a turn at being a popstar – but how many do you remember?

John Altman – EastEnders

Whilst fans best know him for his controversial role as Dot’s son Nasty Nick in the BBC One soap opera, John also had his time making music in a bid to break the charts.

Having sang in many theatre productions and pantomimes over the years, John decided to have a go at releasing an official single in 2020.

He penned the track Looking For The Love of My Life and even recorded a music video to go with it.

The rock’n’roll track saw John singing about finding a lasting love as he wandered aimlessly in the snow in the track’s official video.

Sadly, the song failed to ignite the charts and has so far, only received 7,200 plays on YouTube.

Letitia Dean – EastEnders

Whilst Letitia is one of the country’s most famous soap actresses thanks to her long-running role of Sharon Watts in EastEnders, she’s also tried her hand at music.

You would be forgiven for forgetting her stint as a singer however, as it proved much less successful that her iconic soap role.

As a teen, she played the leading roles in a number of musicals but it was in 1986 that her music career kicked up a notch.

As part of an EastEnders plot line, she and co-star Paul Medford came up with their very own song, Something Outta Nothing.

Proving popular, the BBC issued the track as a single with Letitia and her co-star performing it across the country.

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It eventually landed at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart.

Shane Richie – EastEnders

Shane Richie, known for his role as Alfie Moon, is another one of the EastEnders cast who isn’t afraid to burst into song at any given opportunity.

In 1997 and 2000, Shane attempted to become a popstar by releasing two albums.

However, both albums performed very poorly and failed to chart.

In 2003, he attempted to revive his music career once again – just a year into his soap stint.

Aiming to use his newfound fame, he released the single, I’m Your Man, a cover of the Wham track for Children in Need.

The song was a bigger success and managed to reach number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.

In 2009, it was reported that he would be the opening act for Michael Jackson’s run of concerts planned for The O2 Arena, however, these were cancelled following his death.

Stefan Dennis – Neighbours

Aussie actor Stefan rose to fame after appearing in the very first episode of Neighbours in 1985 playing the role of Paul Robinson.

He has largely remained as part of the show’s cast ever since and will appear in the programme’s final episode which is scheduled to air this year.

But apart from playing the role of Paul, Stefan has also put his singing voice to good use.

In 1989, his track, Don’t It Make You Feel Good, became a number 16 hit on both the UK and Irish charts.

Tracy Shaw – Coronation Street

Tracy played the role of Maxine Peacock in Coronation Street between 1995 and 2003.

She eventually quit the role amid a rumoured pay dispute in which soap bosses told her that she would be forced to take a £20,000 pay cut, something Tracy was unhappy with and as such, left the show.

But during her time on the cobbles, she also attempted to purse a career as a popstar.

She released her original track, Ridin High, as well as a cover of the Lonnie Gordon hit, Happening All Over Again.

However, neither had a huge impact on the charts and she ceased releasing music soon after.

Kevin Kennedy

Corrie’s Curly Watts was secretly a singer in a career move that may have been forgotten by many fans.

In 2000, he released his track, Bulldog Nation, via the RCA Records music label.

Kevin even got to perform the track live on Top of the Pops in a surprise move.

He even went on to release an album under the same name as well as a follow-up record in 2002 titled Present Kennedy.

Will Mellor – Hollyoaks

Hollyoaks hunk Will Mellor is yet another fan favourite soap star who tried his hand at becoming the next big thing on the charts.

Will’s music proved more successful than many of his soap counterparts.

His cover of Leo Sayer’s hit When I Need You became a top-five hit.

Will’s second track, No Matter What I Do, was also a considerable hit, reaching 23 on the UK Singles Chart.

In 2003, he also won the first series of the BBC singing contest, Comic Relief does Fame Academy.