Shayne Ward was "scared" to take on Aidan Connor's suicide storyline on 'Coronation Street'.
Shayne Ward as Aidan Connor
The 33-year-old actor was worried about accepting the storyline - which saw Aidan tragically take his own life after battling depression - but after a long chat with those closest to him, he ultimately decided it needed to be done to raise awareness and encourage people to talk about their problems and knew the storyline was "bigger" than him and the show.
He said: "Kate Oates, the producer, she approached me before Christmas and said we've got this idea for Aidan. Instantly, I was scared because I knew this was a decision I had to make - could I do this storyline, could I do it justice or do I carry on as Aidan and do a different storyline. But I instantly knew, after a long discussion with my family, my partner and with Kate and the Samaritans and CALM, I knew that this was bigger than me. It was bigger than the show, it would be the biggest thing we ever do. The impact already has been incredible. I knew the moment I took this on that it's going to be quite emotional ... I knew from the moment I said yes to this storyline, it was bigger than me. The pressure was instant. I had to handle it so so carefully. We've done that and now the talking has to be done."
And Catherine Tyldesley, who plays Eva Price on the ITV soap, praised the show for the support and "guidance" they had given to the cast and the crew.
In a joint interview with Shayne on ITV's Loose Women on Friday (11.05.18), she added: "We're looked after very well at 'Corrie'. There's a counsellor on set for cast and crew because we're all affected by it in some way. They've guided us, they've been so brilliant."
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