Catherine Tyldesley 'gutted' by Shayne Ward’s departure: 'He's like my brother'

Shayne’s character, Aidan Connor, will take his own life this week - Eva, pictured, is left devastated by the news

Coronation Street actress Catherine Tyldesley, who plays Eva Price on the soap, has admitted that she is “gutted” by the departure of co-star Shayne Ward, who plays Eva’s ex fiancé, Aidan Connor.

Corrie bosses confirmed last week that a forthcoming story will see factory boss Aidan take his own life. The character will be on screen for the final time on Monday 7^th May, when he returns to his Victoria Street flat after visiting Eva in Lymm and attending dad Johnny and stepmum Jenny’s leaving party in The Rover’s.

Aidan Connor — Aidan will take his own life this week

In the show’s hour-long episode, on Wednesday 9^th May, Johnny will then discover his son’s lifeless body in the bathroom, sparking shock and devastation amongst the Connor family and the rest of the Weatherfield residents.

The soap’s writers, producers and cast have worked closely with Samaritans and mental health charity CALM on the storyline, to make sure that it is portrayed as realistically as sensitively as possible.

Speaking about Shayne, Catherine said: “We clicked from day one, and we have just been inseparable ever since, so personally I’m gutted that we’re no longer working together, but I understand completely why this has happened.

“Whenever we had down time, we just had a giggle. He is like my brother, and he is such a team player; no-one has a bad word to say about him. He is such a gentleman, and he looks after everyone, cast and crew. He is a genuine soul and I do feel lost without him.”

The star adds that her own emotions over Shayne’s departure meant that she cried ‘real’ tears in their final scenes together, which see Aidan pay Eva a shock visit after discovering that Peter and Toyah’s ‘daughter’ Susie is in fact his and Eva’s child.

“The scenes asked for Eva to cry, but I didn’t have to try,” reveals Catherine. “I replayed all the scenes we had ever played in my head – all the wedding scenes, the lovely moments between Eva and Aidan, and the tears just flowed.

“I enjoyed working with Shayne so much, and I had all those memories to draw on. The way the journey has been structured is compelling, and I didn’t have to try and dig for those emotions because they were already there. The scripts are beautifully written and it wasn’t difficult to feel the emotion that Eva was feeling.”

Suicide is preventable. For help and support, contact:

Samaritans (www.samaritans.org) on 116 123. Lines are lines open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

CALM (www.thecalmzone.net) on 0800 58 58 58 (nationwide) or 0808 802 58 58 (London). Lines are open from 5pm to midnight, 365 days a year.

Alison Slade has over 20 years of experience as a TV journalist and has spent the vast majority of that time as Soap Editor of TV Times magazine. She is passionate about the ability of soaps to change the world by presenting important, issue-based stories about real people in a relatable way. There are few soap actors that she hasn’t interviewed over the years, and her expertise in the genre means she has been called upon as a judge numerous times for The British Soap Awards and the BAFTA TV Awards.

When she is not writing about soaps, watching soaps, or interviewing people who are in soaps, she loves going to the theatre, taking a long walk or pottering about at home, obsessing over Farrow and Ball paint.