Former Coronation Street star Shayne Ward broke down in tears as he urged struggling men to reach out for help while accepting a British Soap Award.
The actor became emotional as he made an acceptance speech for Best Storyline at Saturday night’s ceremony, which was awarded to Corrie for their exploration of Shayne’s character’s suicide.
Having already accepted the gong for Best Single Episode for the aftermath of Aidan Connor’s suicide, Shayne took to the stage again to deliver the most powerful moment of the evening.
He tearfully said: “It’s amazing. As we always say it’s a collective, it is never a solo story.
“It was told with so much heart. We told it with so much truth. The impact that suicide has, it’s an ongoing thing and us guys don’t talk enough. We say it all the time, ‘It’s a little bit of banter’... Behind those closed doors is the tears of a clown.”
Members of the audience became emotional as Shayne continued: “You need to start talking. You really do. Now we use this platform to try and tackle this taboo.
“I want to thank every single person at Coronation Street. It was an absolute joy to play Aidan Connor and let’s just keep tackling this taboo of suicide.”
The storyline, which aired in May last year, was widely praised at the time, with Shayne claiming he was later “inundated” with messages from people affected by suicide.
Shayne previously admitted he was “hurt” not to have been nominated for a National Television Award for the plot last year.
He tweeted: “This was the one I worked hard for. It’s always a blessing to be put forward for a nomination. And I’m always humbled.
“But to have not even been considered for Best Serial Drama Performance for Aidan’s suicide has really hurt me.”
The wins for Aidan’s suicide storyline topped a great night for Coronation Street at Saturday’s British Soap Awards.
The ITV soap was the big winner of the night with five gongs, but it lost out on the top prize of Best Soap to Hollyoaks.
Check out the full list of winners below...
Best Single Episode
Coronation Street – Aidan’s suicide and the aftermath
Best Female Dramatic Performance
EastEnders – Gillian Wright (Jean Slater)
Best Newcomer
Coronation Street – Alexandra Mardell (Emma Brooker)
Best Male Dramatic Performance
Hollyoaks – Adam Woodward (Brody Hudson)
Best Young Performance
EastEnders Kara-Leah Fernandes (Bailey Baker)
Scene of the Year
Coronation Street – Gail’s Monologue
Best Comedy Performance
Doctors – Sarah Moyle (Valerie Pitman)
Villain of the Year
Hollyoaks – Nathan Sussex (Buster Smith)
Outstanding Achievement Award
Coronation Street – Sue Nicholls (Audrey Roberts)
Best On-Screen Partnership
EastEnders – Roger Smith and Kara-Leah Fernandes
Best Actress
Emmerdale – Lucy Pargeter (Chas Dingle)
Best Storyline
Coronation Street – The impact of Aidan’s suicide
Best Actor
Hollyoaks – Gregory Finnegan (James Nightingale)
Best British Soap
Hollyoaks.
Useful websites and helplines:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill.)
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email: help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0300 5000 927 (open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on www.rethink.org.
