Soap star Shayne on being dad
Singer turned Corrie star says nothing matches joy he gets from baby Willow
Corrie hunk says it’s become his No1 role
AS WEATHERFIELD’S love-rat factory boss Aidan Connor, Shayne Ward has switched seamlessly from pop star to soap heart-throb.
But he says his No1 role isn’t being on Coronation Street – it’s being dad to six-month-old daughter Willow May.
Shayne, 32, and his girlfriend Sophie Austin welcomed little Willow into the world in December.
And the star said fatherhood overshadows everything else he’s done, including winning The X Factor.
He added: “It’s my sole purpose. Everything else in life is a hobby. People say I was born to sing, but I think I was born to be a dad.
“She is wonderful, a beautiful girl. She is just starting to crawl. I love it.”
Sleepless nights and juggling being a hands-on dad with learning lines and filming have given Shayne a new appreciation for Sophie, 33, who previously starred in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks.
He said: “I had a full day with my daughter yesterday when Sophie was working away. Willow is such a breeze and so gentle and always laughing. But I say to Sophie, ‘How do you get the chores and the washing done?’ I applaud women.
“Willow fell asleep for 20 minutes and as soon as I closed my eyes, she was up again.
“I do like the juggling of it, though, I think it helps in a way. If I am really knackered from looking after the little one and then I come into work to a sad scene, it helps because I am already in that place of tiredness.
“If I am having a brilliant morning where she is laughing and I come into work to a funny scene, it sets me up for the day.”
Life couldn’t be better for Shayne, which is more than can be said for his Corrie alter-ego.
Aidan has been embroiled in a love triangle with girlfriend Eva, played by Cath Tyldesley, and hairdresser Maria Connor, played by Samia Ghadie. He was preparing to dump Eva, but she discovered his affair – and the fact she is pregnant with his child. Now the star is at the centre of Corrie’s Fatal Attraction-style revenge plot, as Eva schemes to ruin his life.
Shayne said: “It has been great. I’ve known Samia and Cath for years. We always have a great laugh on and off
I am no longer Shayne to a lot of people. I am Aidan Connor
SHAYNE WARD
screen. We just make it as fun as possible. It is really easy working with them.
“When I first joined, I remember Ben Price, who played Nick Tilsley, saying to me, ‘You need a fight scene, you need a love triangle’. So far so good.
“When the affair first came about, I was thinking he was torn between two women. Now he is just being a dog. If anyone did that to my daughter, well, don’t get me started. I’m very protective.”
Shayne is already talking about expanding his family.
He said: “I always say I want seven kids because I am one of seven kids.
“But if we were blessed to have another two or three, that would be great. It depends on Soph as well because she’s an actress. So if she wants to go back to that, I back her 100 per cent.”
The birth of Willow is the pinnacle of a golden two years for the down-to-earth star. Having won The X Factor in 2005, Shayne, born to traveller parents in Tameside, Greater Manchester, was dubbed the British Justin Timberlake.
His single That’s My Goal went to No1, selling 200,000 more copies than Leona Lewis’s debut single, and his first self-titled album went platinum in little over a week.
But by 2015, his musical career had slowed down and his last album Closer was crowdfunded on the PledgeMusic website.
So when Corrie came knocking, it seemed the right move, even though he feared the backlash for being a pop star – and a reality show pop star at that – turned actor.
He needn’t have worried. After joining the likes of Hear’Say singer Kym Marsh and Boyzone’s Keith Duffy on the cobbles, Shayne was an instant hit.
Within a year, he was crowned Best Newcomer at the prestigious National Television Awards.
Shayne said: “Blue’s Lee Ryan went into EastEnders and is smashing it, you’ve got Duncan James in Hollyoaks, but we are instantly pigeonholed as a singer going into an actor’s game. It can be very unforgiving, especially with social media. “Your first scene comes on and people can either love you or hate you. It is a make-or-break thing. “But I have been received very well and I’ve been blessed, especially when I got recognised at the NTAs. For me, that award was acceptance. “It felt like I was finally accepted in something that was so huge and I respect so much. “I absolutely love Corrie and hopefully I can keep proving people wrong with my acting. I’m learning something every single day.” While he hasn’t turned his back on his singing career, Shayne is proud that people now associate him more with Corrie. He added: “I still have a good, strong fan base music wise, so I am never going to shut the door on it. But I am really enjoying the acting side.
“I am no longer Shayne to a lot of people, I am now Aidan Connor. I was in the supermarket the other night and I had a load of kids come over shouting, ‘Stop s **** ing Maria’.
“They don’t know me as a singer, they know me as Aidan. That gives me the hunger, because my character is being believable.”
Shayne’s own love life couldn’t be further removed from Aidan’s mess. He and Sophie are clearly devoted to each other after a fast-paced romance. They celebrated Willow’s birth within a year of getting together.
Shayne said Sophie has no worries about him kissing Cath and Samia on set.
He added: “Sophie is fine. She acts herself, so she snogs people.”
The star is under no illusions that Aidan is going to get his comeuppance from both the women in his life.
He said: “I know a lot of women that have been scorned – not by myself, may I say. But I know how lethal they can be. God help Aidan.”