Coronation Street's Shayne Ward has been hugely praised following his harrowing portrayal of Aidan Connor's suicide, which has not only driven viewers to tears, but help to save lives too. Revealing just how much of an impact the storyline has, Shayne told The Sun: "A lot of people who are considering attempting suicide have got in touch to say, 'I'm calling somebody now. I was attempting it and you've helped me.' The response has been truly overwhelming." The 33-year-old added that the story had taken him to a "really dark place" when it came to researching the shocking statistics of male suicide in the UK – with currently 12 men a day taking their own lives.
Coronation Street's harrowing suicide storyline has already helped save lives
On Wednesday night's hour-long episode, Aidan's lifeless body was discovered by his dad Johnny Connor after he failed to turn up to work to open Underworld factory in the morning. The news of Aidan's death spread around the street, with his former flame Eva Price amongst those left devastated, while David Platt found the courage to confront his own dark feelings following his rape ordeal, telling girlfriend Shona Ramsey what had happened.
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Shayne's acting abilities were recognised amongst both viewers and his cast mates, with stars including with Catherine Tyldesley, who plays Aidan's ex-fiancée Eva Price, writing on Instagram: "Phenomenal performance from @shaynetward tonight. Darling it's been an absolute pleasure to work with you. Here's hoping that the work that yourself and our wonderful #corrie team have put into this week's episodes gets people talking and helps save lives." Shayne's fiancée Sophie Austin, was also full of praise for her husband-to-be, telling him she would "forever be in awe" of him and his acting.
Shayne Ward was praised for his portrayal of troubled Aidan Connor
Taking to Instagram, the former Hollyoaks star shared a photo of Shayne and their two-year-old daughter Willow walking hand-in-hand. "So here we are at the end of this long journey, one that I'm so, so proud of you for taking," she said. "At first it was such a hard decision and road to face knowing how important this story was for us as a family and for so many others. You were scared as you wanted to do it justice! Well you did my darling, you listened to stories/experiences, learnt, revisited your own memories and tragic loss and worked hard to make this story the truest it could be and to hopefully help others and get people talking. I will forever be in awe of you and your amazing talent as an actor. Thank you my love xx."
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