'Emmerdale' star Nicola Wheeler has heaped praise on 'Coronation Street' for raising awareness of male suicide.
Shayne Ward
The 44-year-old actress - who plays Nicola King in the ITV soap - has congratulated the rival show for covering the "heartbreaking" subject following the news that Aidan Connor (Shayne Ward) will take his own life next week.
She wrote on Twitter: "Well done to Corrie and Kate Oates for raising awareness. Heartbreaking subject but something too many families are having to deal with. (sic)"
Shayne's former on-screen lover Catherine Tyldesley (Eva Price) is "incredibly proud" to be part of the hard-hitting storyline, and has praised the former 'X Factor' winner for his "incredible portrayal" of Aidan.
She wrote on Instagram: "Around 84 men a week take their own lives. I can not bare this statistic- we need to do more. We need to talk. Incredibly proud to be part of this storyline to help raise #awareness well done @shaynetward for an incredible portrayal- that I have no doubt will help thousands of people. #ItsOkToTalk @calmzone #corrie #suicideprevention #suicideawareness #mentalhealthawareness @samaritanscharity (sic)"
Aidan will tragically take his own life in next week's 'Corrie' after suffering from inner turmoil for weeks.
His suicide will not be shown on screen but his father Johnny Connor (Richard Hawley) will discover his son's body after the factory owner fails to turn up for work.
Richard tweeted: "So proud of my friend and colleague @shayneTward. A deeply humane and generous man who's put in a brilliant performance. His heart is with others always. Miss u xxx (sic)"
Corrie's writers, production team, and Shayne have teamed up with charities Samaritans and CALM to ensure the storyline is handled sensitively and realistically.
Tagged in Shayne Ward Nicola Wheeler Richard Hawley