Catherine Tyldesley interview: Eva's fight for her child

How does Eva feel about Toyah going back on the pact they made?
Initially she was completely shocked because she could see how desperate Toyah has always been for a family but at the same time she is super relieved because deep down her mum instincts have kicked in and she wants to be a mum to Susie. She is also feeling the fear because all of a sudden she’s like, “I am going to be a mum now,”  but the overwhelming feeling is relief. 

If Toyah hadn’t have revealed the truth do you think Eva would have done?
Yes, one hundred percent. It was always going to come out and the chances were that it was going to be Eva because there was no way that she could have carried on, her maternal instinct is too strong. 

Why does Eva decide to come clean to Adam about her pregnancy?
She does genuinely care about him. She doesn't love him like she did with Aidan but she’s got a huge soft spot for him and he is offering that shoulder to cry on. At the moment, to have that offer in her life and that support is brilliant for her. 

Is Eva ready to step up to the plate and become a mum to Susie?
Yes she is and because it is Aidan’s baby and she’s lost Aidan and Susie looks so much like him, she just feels the need to be with Susie constantly and have that last little reminder of the man she loved.

What happens when Johnny storms in to the pub and demands answers?
When Johnny storms in to the pub, Eva can tell straight away that he knows but she has always wanted to tell The Connors the truth. She has said that from the moment that Aidan took his own life because she said that it was a game-changer and that they need to know. 

What’s Eva’s reaction?
Although she is terrified and not sure how Johnny is going to react, she tells them exactly what has happened and hopes for the best. She wants Susie to know who her father was and she wants Susie to know her family and be around The Connors.

What happens when Eva finds out Johnny has started custody proceedings?
She is completely shocked because when she first talks to Johnny he seems to react quite well and she thinks that everything is going to be okay and that they are going to be fair but she is unaware that he is hiding this overwhelming anger towards her. But she is a fighter and she is her mother’s daughter; she can give as good as she gets which surprises Johnny.

Is she ready to fight for Susie?
She is so ready, she has already given her up once she is not prepared to lose her little girl again. She is ready to play hard ball, much to everyone’s shock.

What advice would you give Eva?
If it was me, nobody would ever take my little boy away, I would stop at nothing. 

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Shayne Ward interview: Aidan's final scenes air tonight

How did it feel to film your exit scenes?
As an actor I was honoured to be given the responsibility of this storyline, what actor would give up that opportunity. It was a decision that was made between us all and was totally storyline led, they sat me down and said they were thinking of exploring this issue and I understood the importance of it. At the end of the day I could have said no, that I couldn't do it. But I thought about it and talked it through and there was a greater pull to want to do the storyline. I will miss playing Aidan and working with the fantastic people on this show but it is a massively important storyline to tell.

What research did you do?
I met with Samaritans and I was able to talk through everything, they were across all the storylines as were CALM. It helped answer a lot of questions, I learned lots of things from them and realise that every story is different. This is Aidan's story, it is not based on anyone else's story but it is telling an all too common story. They encouraged me to ask anything. Knowing that they were advising on the scripts gave me great confidence to play the story out. I know Aidan, I have played him for three years, I was able to have some input into the final episodes following my meeting with Samaritans as I wanted to be true to Aidan.

How did you find playing the scenes?
It was difficult playing those scenes because I know how important it is to tell a story like this, it has to ring true for the viewer. There needed to be honesty in it so I had to really look into everything that Aidan has been through. Obviously you do draw upon stories that you have been told but I had to take everything into account and try in some way to understand everything Aidan has been through and what has brought him to this point.

I had quite a few emotional scenes and it is important to be able to get out of that mindset and shake it off at the end of the filming day. I have always been able to deal with a lot of pressure, it helps being from such a big family, this going back to my singing days. I was 21 when I did The X Factor, I had been working from the age of 16, so when The X Factor came along I was more prepared for the pressure that brought. I am one of seven and I always felt like one of the older ones. I was the one they took advice from. So when I did this storyline and came out of it I was able to step away from the pressure.

You can do a scene like the ones I played and you can remain in that day place and I could have stayed feeling very down and knowing how serious the storyline was, I could have added pressure on myself but I believed in what I was doing and hopefully it will be so helpful to people that it will be something that my daughter will be proud of. So for me it was all about looking to the future with her at the forefront of my mind. She is my happy place.

Are you good at talking about your feelings?
Trying to find the right balance with Aidan I brought a lot of myself into playing him so I could give true performances but there is also a lot about him that is very different from me. I am a talker, I believe in talking. It is something I try to instil in my friends and family if they are going through hard times. I ask them to talk to me about it, or to each other. If you are left alone with your thoughts and demons it puts you in that dark place and it is hard to get out. That is what this storyline is about, a lot of men think it is a weakness to talk and it isn't. It is a pride thing, men bottle it up - but have pride in talking and admitting how you are feeling. I have sat there with my own thoughts and it doesn't work, talking about them is what helped me but sadly Aidan doesn't, he doesn't want to burden anyone, he is too proud to speak out.

Will you watch tonight?
Yes, and my family have said that they want to watch it, and that is the point, if they didn't want to watch they would be falling into the bracket of ignoring the issue and staying silent so I am very pleased that they want to watch it. Hopefully it will spark conversations amongst viewers, they might be difficult conversations but they are important ones.

If Aidan's storyline is resonating with you, there is help and support available now. Samaritans offers a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week helpline support service. Call them FREE on 116 123. You can also email jo@samaritans.org. Further information can be found at www.mentalhealth.org.uk.

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Aidan's suicide shock: what to expect

Just a short one from me after quite an emotional day. There will be more of a write up in due course. Myself and fellow blogger Ruth headed to a special screening of next week's episodes, due to air on Monday and Wednesday.

By the time that this blog is posted, viewers will have had fifteen minutes to take in how Shayne Ward will exit his role as Aidan Connor. Undoubtedly there will have already been hundreds of tweets flooding in saying this is too dark for a family show. But please wait for Monday night.

Today I have watched some of the best episodes of Coronation Street in years. I cried, and I laughed. There are some really, really touching and sensitive moments. Kudos to Shayne Ward, Cath Tyldesley, Richard Hawley, Samia Ghadie and Georgia Taylor for their breathtaking acting. Keep an eye out for Helen Worth's wonderful, reflective scene too.

This is such an important story, and it needs to be told. Hats off to Kate Oates and the team at Coronation Street.

If Aidan's storyline is resonating with you, there is help and support available now. Samaritans offers a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week helpline support service. Call them FREE on 116 123. You can also email jo@samaritans.org. Further information can be found at www.mentalhealth.org.uk.

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Shayne Ward interview: Aidan Connor to take his own life

How did Aidan reach this tragic point?
The thing is everybody is going to be thinking were there any tell tale signs that Aidan was feeling suicidal? You can't pin it down to one particular thing that has happened to him over the years. He has always been quite troubled. But it isn't always possible to spot a person is struggling to cope with life.

I had to figure out when and why Aidan had reached a point were he felt this was his only option, the path that he was going to take. I feel that it was because of all the problems that he caused, a lot of them not on purpose and some were down to his own actions. He lost his relationship and as a consequence he lost the factory and everyone lost their jobs, I have figured out that one thing Aidan can't do is escape his own mind, he is short tempered with people. But he could never explain why he was angry or annoyed, he just was and he really did feel, wrongly, that everyone would be better off without him.

How long had he felt this way?
He had actually planned to do this sooner but then Carla was sick and needed a kidney he saw this as a way to finally do something good, to help someone, but by this point he had decided that he was going to take his own life and posted the later, but when he found out about Carla and he intercepted the letter the next day from the postman outside his dad's flat. He stopped his family seeing the suicide note and he didn't go ahead with his plan at that point. There was a moment in the hospital when he was crying his eyes out, but tragically he kept all of that from his family, so there were no tell tale signs for his family to see. He didn't talk to anyone about how he was feeling. Everyone around him was so happy that it had been successful. He didn't want to burden anyone with his thoughts.

He wants to get everyone their jobs back and make the factory a success. To be given the whole empire of Underworld after everything he had done to that business was overwhelming for him. Now it is all on his shoulders, it is incredible but what if he messes it up again, that is something that has plagued Aidan ever since we first saw him. He has always wanted to prove that he is like his dad and that he can carry on the empire but he just seems to trip up along the way and that is his biggest fear - what if I do it again?

Tell us about the moment when he realises the baby is his
Toyah has been acting awkward around Aidan in regards to the baby. He knows Eva has gone away to have a baby, he thinks it's Adam's baby and that door is shut. But when Susie comes into play, Toyah is acting really weird around him. He can't work out why and there is a moment when he tells Toyah the baby is beautiful and she gives him a strange look. He thinks it is a bit odd and there is a scene in the pub where someone goes to pass the baby to Aidan and Toyah steps in to stop him and he realises that it is now twice that she has behaved weirdly with the baby around him. When she goes behind the bar, she turns and they lock eyes and he sees it in her eyes, the moment is so tell tale. The truth dawns on him that it's his baby. Eva has gone away, no one has seen or heard from her and she hasn't returned any of his calls. This baby is now on the scene and he knows from the way that Toyah has reacted that there is something going on.

What happens when he holds the baby?
Aidan decides to go and find Eva, and he goes to call her but he isn't able to face her rejection again so he cancels the call. Johnny spills red wine on him so he goes to try and find some paper towels and sees Toyah and tries to ask about Eva, but she gets defensive and he doesn't want to arouse suspicion. But at that moment he feels the need to find out if he feels a connection to the baby and that is really sad, because he holds the baby. You see the sadness in his eyes as he realises that he can't be there for this baby, he loves the baby and he doesn't want to let the child down, he in his mind has let everyone else down and he thinks he will do the same again. He feels that everyone, including his child will be better off without him. When he holds her she is the most beautiful thing in the whole world but he just passes her back to Toyah. He thinks he would ruin this child's life.

Why does he go to see Eva at this point?
She doesn't know why he is there but he is not there to have it out with her, he just wants to see her. She is confused and when he says that he has seen the baby, she starts to get panicky and apologises, but he says she has nothing to apologise for, he knows everything she did is because of how he treated her. She breaks down and he tells her that he thinks what she is doing with the baby is the right thing. Johnny breaks the moment by calling him, so he says goodbye and tells Eva that he loves her.

What happens in his final scenes?
He is sat in the pub and he is completely numb sat with his family who are completely unaware of his terrible state of mind. The last time we will see him is when he is back at the flat alone and he breaks down.

How did you feel when you were asked about playing this storyline?
I am honoured to have been trusted with a storyline like this, it shows the confidence that Kate Oates and the team had in me to be able to play it. When you get given a storyline like this it is a decision that is not taken lightly, I have played it with as much honestly and truth as I could. I am very proud of what I have done in my three years on the show and on this storyline in particular.

Aidan is an 'everyman' figure, he is someone men can identify with, which is important in telling this story. We hope that anyone who recognises something of themselves in Aidan, will realise they can, and really should, talk about how they are feeling.

They should realise this is not the only option, they can and should talk to someone, rather than suffer in silence and potentially let things get worse.

Talking could have helped Aidan turn his life around. It could have brought him relief from what he was going through. This what his loved one would have wanted. Suicide is a very permanent response to what are usually temporary problems.

We all know someone who has maybe felt like Aidan did, someone who found it hard to talk and we have all heard stories like Aidan's when it was too late, when people looked back and wished they had spotted the signs, but it isn't always possible. If we can encourage someone who is feeling low, who is having the sort of thoughts Aidan was having, to realise they need to talk, then we have achieved what we set out to do with this story.

If Aidan's storyline is resonating with you, there is help and support available now. Samaritans offers a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week helpline support service. Call them FREE on 116 123. You can also email jo@samaritans.org. Further information can be found at www.mentalhealth.org.uk.

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Double Trouble for Maria and Eva in Corrie's Extra Wednesday Episode

Things are about to get very messy on Coronation Street when Eva Price takes the ultimate revenge on Maria Connor in tonight’s dramatic double bill of our favourite soap.

As these photographs show the furious bride sees red and pushes her love rival into the fountain at the lavish wedding venue - before jumping in after her and dunking the terrified hairdresser under the water.

In scenes reminiscent of the famous Dynasty lilypond catfight between Krystal and Alexis, the two women battle it out in the fountain as the stunned wedding guests look on. 

On Monday night over 7 million viewers saw Maria ruin Aidan and Eva’s wedding by gatecrashing the ceremony and revealing that Eva is faking her pregnancy.

Eva had spent months planning her revenge against Aidan and Maria after discovering they had been having an affair behind her back and planned to expose cheating fiance Aidan Connor during their vows. But when he confessed to the affair on the morning of the wedding she decided that she still loved him and wanted to marry him.

But she hadn’t bargained on Maria discovering that as part of her revenge Eva had faked a pregnancy to ensure Aidan married her.

Tune in at 7.30 and 8.30 tonight to find out if Aidan and Eva will finally tie the knot or if Maria’s revelation has finally called time on the relationship.

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Coronation Street Blog interview: Cath Tyldesley

Weddings can be an expensive business, but the stakes are higher than your average where Eva Price is concerned. Intent on wreaking revenge on Aidan for his infidelity, Maria for breaking the sacred ‘girl-code’, and Jenny for keeping their secret, the question is, at what cost?

I caught up with Cath Tyldesley, who plays Eva, at Coronation Street studios in Manchester to hear all about the Big Day. If you don’t want to read any spoilers, it’s probably best to look away now.

Describing it as “very action packed”, there is no doubt that Cath enjoyed every minute of this epic shoot. But what could she tell us about the events which lead up to it, and what unfolds on the day itself?

First up is the hen party, which, we’re told, is used as a way to get at Jenny and Maria. “She’s just vile to Maria” explains Cath before revealing details of a humiliating stunt pulled on her in the Rovers which I won’t spoil for readers. “I really felt for [Samia] because [Eva] just goes for it” she tells us, “but she deserves it in her eyes.” It’s interesting to hear that Maria is to bear some of the brunt of her revenge as, up to now, Aidan has seemed the main target. So, does Cath feel Eva is more angry at one over the other? “It’s both of them” she explains. “But what I quite liked is that, for years actually, whenever she’s talked about being cheated on, she’s spoke many times about the girl code and how much she despises women that do that. So the fact that it’s her best friend that’s done it is just another level for her. Her feelings for Maria are completely gone now, there’s nothing left, but she does still love Aidan despite what he’s done.”

Love him she might, but she is still hell-bent on revenge, and he manages to flatten the champagne on the morning of the wedding by confessing to his affair. Cath explains, "It’s a real game changer that for Eva… she can see the absolute sincerity in his eyes, she can see how genuine he is and that he does actually really love her and the whole thing to him has been a massive mistake.” She continues, “She had the day completely planned out to a tee. She’s got this revenge plot firmly in her mind and then all of a sudden she’s like, ‘he’s offering me everything I ever wanted and he’s come clean’.” It wouldn’t be Eva, however, if this wasn’t tinged with irritation. “At the same time, she was really angry with him, because she has this firm plan and she’s like, ‘oh, now you’ve done this’…so there are lots of different emotions.”

Nor would it be Eva if she didn’t capitalise on an opportunity to take down her nemesis when Maria gatecrashes the wedding and, as we’ve seen in the official Corrie promo video, the pair swap the chocolate fountain for a real one. 2.5 hours and no less than 6 very heavy, completely ruined, wedding dresses later, the pair were tired out after thrashing it out in the water, but both really enjoyed it and Cath clearly felt it was worth it. “I was just really excited about it, to be doing something that physical” she explains. “Normally it is very coordinated, but because of the nature of the scene they were like, ‘Just go for it guys’ and me and Samia were like, ‘Oh my God’. And we did, we just went for it, you know, within reason. We’re kind of both aware of what we should and shouldn’t do. But yeah, it was pretty full on.” She continues, “It was good fun, I really enjoyed doing that actually.” It wasn’t all high drama either, “Andy Whyment plays a blinder in the fountain scenes” she reveals, “I just find him hysterical anyway, so yeah, it was really funny stuff.”

So, what does Cath think about the emergence of this villainous element to her character? “I’ve loved it, I’ve absolutely loved it” she enthuses. “It’s been really nice to see another side to her because, when she came into it, she was a woman scorned and you know, she is her mother’s daughter, they are strong, feisty women. And I think Eva is a very likeable character and her vulnerability and her dizziness makes people like her, but I think this is great that we go, ‘oh crap, yeah, we forgot about this side to her’.” She continues, “Every boyfriend that she’s ever had has cheated on her. At some point you are gonna lose it, and this is character changing for her, this is it now, she’s had enough.”

Asked if it’s likely that something could develop with Adam, Cath tells us, “I think for her at the moment she appreciates that he’s a good looking guy and it’s been a shoulder-to-lean-on sort of thing for her, but her heart is with Aidan.” But can Eva ever forgive him? “Yeah, I think she could. I think for her, that was her prince charming, I think she loves him that much.”

Having just gotten married herself last year, Cath found it weird to be back in a wedding dress and in bride mode again. “The way everything was shot, we tried to do things in order as much as we could cos of the nature of the scenes, it did feel like I was getting married again. It was bizarre” she says. “But yeah, I loved it. Who doesn’t love putting a big frock on? It was the first dress I saw and I knew in my head exactly what I wanted ‘cos I choose all of Eva’s outfits, and as soon as I saw it, I was like, that’s the one.”

As my interview with Cath coincided with the announcement that Corrie’s sixth episode would comprise a Wednesday double and start on the 20th of September with this very wedding, I was interested to hear her thoughts. Speaking of Kate Oates, Cath says “she’s just fantastic, she’s an absolute powerhouse. Everything has been structured in a way that nobody is overloaded, and everything is quite evenly spread, so it’s been great for us. And, as a viewer, I’m really excited because it’s just another episode.”

All that remains now is for us to choose a hat for the 20th, and position ourselves as far from that fountain as possible.

Meeting Cath was lovely. Her enthusiasm and sense of humour is very infectious. She was also, in fact, the captain of my Rovers Return pub quiz team on the day, but more on that later...

By Emma Hynes

www.emmahynes.net

Twitter: @ELHynes

Facebook: @EmmaHynesWrites

Instagram: emmalouhynes

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