‘Don't Suffer In Silence'

As Aidan Connor tragically commits suicide this week, actor Shayne Ward explains why he hopes the shocking plot will encourage others to seek help…

- Alison Slade

SOAP

Coronation Street

HOL MON, WED, FRI / ITV / TIMES VARY

The announcement last year that Shayne Ward would be bowing out of Coronation Street in 2018 was mostly met with the assumption that his character, Aidan Connor, would skip off into the sunset with ex-fiancé Eva Price – especially as actress Catherine Tyldesley revealed her own decision to quit the soap soon after.

Few could have predicted the events of this week. In scenes to be aired on Wednesday, Aidan’s father Johnny lets himself into his son’s flat, and is horrified to find Aidan has taken his own life.

‘Everyone is going to be thinking, “Were there any tell-tale signs that Aidan was feeling suicidal?”’ says former X Factor winner Shayne, who joined Corrie three years ago. ‘But it isn’t always possible to spot that a person is struggling to cope with life.