Ex-Hollyoaks star Sarah Jayne Dunn has reported Instagram trolls to police

Sarah Jayne Dunn says she has called the police over messages she has received on Instagram.

The former Hollyoaks actor made the admission on Loose Women while discussing the success of her channel on adult subscription site OnlyFans on Wednesday.

The actor said: "I've had messages that I've contacted the police about on Instagram."

While she did not go into detail about the unwelcome messages, she explained that she found it "safer" on OnlyFans than she does posting content on other platforms.

She explained: "Not a lot has changed for me... you feel safer posting those on your OnlyFans than you do on Instagram... so obviously I'm going to support that."

Read more: Sarah Jayne Dunn says she 'had to take a stand' as she exits Hollyoaks over OnlyFans

The 40-year-old, who appeared on the ITV daytime show with her husband Jonathan Smith who helps Sarah to take some of her photos for the site, also told the hosts she had been thinking about joining the site for quite some time.

"Lockdown is one of the biggest reasons," she admitted. "I particularly found it tough...and the uncertainty of now knowing what was going to happen.

"As an actor you're self-employed...I need something else that I can do that I can have control of and still be creative. That was where the thought process came from.

"It's the same sort of shoots I've been doing forever but now I'm in control of it."

The star had previously said being axed over OnlyFans was “a huge shock”. She famously left the soap after she and bosses were unable to "reach a resolution" following her controversial decision to to join the platform three months ago.

However she insisted that she had "no regrets", adding: "It's been great... It's changed my life in the last three months...our lives.

"I get to choose where I work and what I'm wearing... I get to choose that my pictures aren't photoshopped.

"It's so empowering for me to now I'm doing this for me. I set the boundaries."

The chat follows former glamour model Katie Price announcing last week that she will also be joining the platform, which is said to be a money pot for famous faces, many of whom can earn up to a million pounds a month.