Shayne Ward was taken to a "really dark place" while filming Aidan Connor’s ‘Coronation Street’ suicide storyline.
The harrowing plot continued to unfold in last night’s (09.05.18) dramatic one-hour ‘Corrie’ special, which saw Shayne’s character Aidan’s family, and the Weatherfield residents, find out he had taken his own life.
Shayne has admitted getting into the mindset for the plot was heart-breaking, and he has been inundated with people on the brink of attempting suicide who have contacted him to say they are going to speak about their problems as a result of the hard-hitting storyline.
He said: "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.
"I knew when I took it on that it was more than just a storyline.
"This is affecting millions of people around the world every single day, and when I read the stats I couldn’t believe it.
"So when I’m getting into that place, it’s a really, really dark place which again breaks my heart.
"You feel that there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
"You feel lost, you feel hopeless, powerless, unloved and you feel like you can never make things right."
Shayne started seeing a therapist on set as soon as series producer Kate Oates first discussed the harrowing plot with him, and he found the experience so useful that show bosses decided to keep employing the psychologist on a weekly basis.
He said: "I started seeing somebody from the moment I was approached about the story before Christmas.
"It was important for me to understand why people attempt suicide.
"I’m really pleased to hear that he now stays on two or three days a week."
Shayne admitted the cast and crew were in tears while filming the tough scenes, and they sparked memories of the show’s props man Mike Curtis, who tragically took his own life in 2015 aged 32.
He added to The Sun newspaper: "I knew a lot of people on that floor while filming have been affected by someone that they know who has lost a life to suicide.
"There were a lot of tears. We all knew that this is basically creating a moment not just in Corrie’s history but also for suicide.
"It was important to raise awareness and use our platform."
Shayne’s final on-screen ‘Corrie’ moment came on Monday night’s (07.05.18) double bill when Aidan was seen sitting on the sofa in floods of tears after reaching breaking point.
Wednesday night’s episode saw Aidan’s dad Johnny Connor (Richard Hawley) discover his son’s body in his flat after he failed to turn up for work, and showed his friends and family’s devastation.
One particularly poignant moment in the episode – which was penned by Jonathan Harvey – came when long-time Weatherfield resident Gail Platt (Helen Worth) made a passionate speech while standing by her widow and looking out onto the cobbled street.
She said: "I like to think we look out for each other round here, and without being nosy know what’s going on in each other’s lives … but you don’t, do you."
The episode also saw the news of Aidan’s suicide spark her son David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd) into telling his ex Shona Ramsey (Julia Goulding) that he had been raped by Josh Tucker (Ryan Clayton), and to admit he was "so close" to taking his own life.
‘Corrie’ teamed up with charities Samaritans and CALM for guidance on Aidan’s story in a bid to raise awareness of male suicide.
Shayne Ward taken to ‘dark place’ while shooting suicide story
