Former Hollyoaks heart-throb Kevin Sacre, right, is joining the cast of this year's Norwich Theatre Royal pantomime, Sleeping Beauty.

Kevin, who played the role of Jake Dean in the hit Channel 4 soap, will take on the role of the Prince.

His first professional role was with the Royal Shakespeare Company when he played Reepicheep in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe before getting his first major small-screen part in ITV's Night and Day soap playing Dennis Doyle for the entire 240-episode run of the series.

From there, he landed the role of Jake in the Chester-based Hollyoaks which saw him at the centre of a number of major storylines including a tug-of-love over his son and a mental breakdown.

Since he left the show in 2010, he has been involved in a number of projects including BBC Three's Dancing On Wheels. He's also no stranger to panto having starred in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Aladdin.

Kevin is currently part of the all-star cast of Calendar Girls which is touring the UK opposite fellow Norwich Theatre Royal panto star Helen Fraser, who is best known as the grumpy prison warden Sylvia Hollamby in Bad Girls.

Sleeping Beauty runs from December 14 to January 15 .