Shamed soap star Paul Danan walked free from court today after admitting a two-day drugs binge.
The former Hollyoaks actor, 32, was arrested by police twice in one weekend after taking cocaine and cannabis to relieve anxiety over his flagging career.
He was first nicked for cannabis possession and a public order offence near his home in Royston, Herts, after he repeatedly told officers to ”f*ck off”.
Danan was released from a police cell eight hours later but arrested again the following night and found to be in possession of 1g of cocaine.
He admitted possession of a class A and class B controlled drug and a public order offence at Stevenage Magistrates Court, in Herts, today.
The court heard he was suffering from depression because his work had dried up and he dabbled with drugs to alleviate the stress.
Doug Steele, chairman of the bench, fined Danan £100 for possession of cocaine, £65 possession of cannabis and £85 for public order offences, and £85 costs.
Chairman Steele said: ”We take into account that your circumstances at the moment are very difficult, your father is ill as well which is causing you some anxiety.
”They are fairly small amounts of drugs so we are going to deal with this matter by a financial penalty.
”The procedure in court is to refer people to an agency to help; in your case a drugs problem.”
Danan told the court he was unable to immediately pay the fines yesterday but said he could ask his MUM.
He told magistrates: ”I can’t pay now but I could ask my mum to phone here and do it over the phone.”
Danan added: ”I see CDAT [Community Drug and Alcohol Team]. They are really good I see them once a week just for my anxiety.
”It’s so I don’t go to get something to get rid of the real world and things. It’s going on just to make me feel I have got support.”
Danan is best known for playing Sol Patrick in teen soap Hollyoaks between 1997 and 2001 and he only recently moved to Royston.
He famously had a fling with Lady Victoria Hervey on ITV’s Celebrity Love Island in 2005.
He recently appeared in a ”love at first sniff” Daz washing powder advert alongside Jennifer Ellison and Leonard Fenton, Eastenders’ Dr Legg.
Danan was sacked from a Jack and the Beanstalk panto in Preston in 2007 after swearing down the microphone at the Christmas lights switch on.
In June 2008 he was involved in a row with the organisers of the Miss Student UK beauty contest after he drank too much and insulted contestants.
Danan recently appeared on channel Five’s Celebrity Quitters where he attempted to give up smoking.
London-born actor Danan refused to comment as he left the courtroom.
