Coronation Street star Shayne Ward shares his thoughts on Aidan Connor’s heart-breaking suicide storyline that is set to stun the Street.
Coronation Street actor Shayne Ward has talked to Soaplife about the tragic circumstances surrounding his character Aidan Connor's shock exit from the soap.
What’s the story?
In a storyline that’s bound to cause controversy, Aidan decides to take his own life. How has Aidan reached such a low point?
“You can’t pin it down to one particular thing that’s happened over the years,” actor Shayne Ward tells Soaplife. “He’s cheated, he’s lost people their jobs, he had a hard relationship with his dad and he’s always wanted to prove himself to his father but never quite succeeded. He’s always been troubled and it isn’t always possible to spot that a person who’s struggling to cope with life…”
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Shayne Ward’s interview with Soaplife about Aidan Connor taking his own life
Soaplife: Just how did Aidan get this bad?
Shayne Ward: “It’s the accumulation of many things, plus Aidan can’t escape his own demons. He’s often angry and annoyed, but he’s unable to explain why. He feels, wrongly, that everyone will be better off without him.”
S: How long has he felt like ending it all?
SW: “He’d actually planned to do it sooner, but then Carla was sick. He was able to help her and so he postponed it. There was a moment in the hospital when he was crying his eyes out, but tragically he kept it from his family. There have been no tell-tale signs for his family to see. He didn’t talk to anyone about how he was feeling.”
S: Tell us about the moment Aidan realises he’s the father of Toyah’s baby?
SW: “Toyah’s been acting awkwardly around Aidan. She looks at him strangely when he comments how beautiful Susie is and she stops him from holding her. But it’s when Toyah locks eyes with him again that he instinctively knows this is Eva’s baby and that he and not Adam is the biological father.”
S: Doesn’t this knowledge make him think again about ending it?
SW: “Tragically, Aidan doesn’t feel he can either fight for Susie or be there for her. He doesn’t want to let her down. It’s what he feels he always does. He feels the baby is better off without him.”
S: Why does he visit Eva?
SW: “He just wants to see her. She’s confused and when Aidan says he’s seen the baby, she starts panicking and she apologises. Aidan replies she has nothing to be sorry for – that everything she’s done is down to the way he treated her. Eva breaks down and he tells her he loves her. He’s saying goodbye.”
S: What happens in his final scenes?
SW: “He’s in the pub, feeling completely numb. His family have no idea about his state of mind. The last time we will see him is back at the flat alone and he breaks down.”
S: How did you feel about this storyline?
SW: “I’m honoured to have been trusted with it. I have played it with as much honesty and truth as I could. I’m very proud of what I have done in my three years on the show – and this storyline in particular.”
Coronation Street continues on ITV
