10 Facts About… Shayne Ward (Corrie’s Aidan)
1 If you thought the Connors were a large family, you should meet Shayne’s real-life clan! He is one of seven children born to his parents, Philomena and Martin. His siblings are called Mark, Martin, Michael, Lisa, Emma and Leona, and they grew up together in Greater Manchester. “As a kid, I had lots of fun,” recalls Shayne. “Coming from a huge family, there were a lot of games like hide-and-seek and bike races. I loved it. My favourite thing to do would be when the seven of us were sat in a row with wallpaper laid out, and all of us drawing. I just wish we’d kept them!”
2 Back in 2011, Shayne revealed he was a big fan of the show My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. The reason for his interest was that his parents were Irish travellers, and Shayne grew up with that heritage. “It was more the older generation, like my mum, dad and auntie, who travelled around, but I’ve always been surrounded by it,” he says. “They all watch My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding – it’s important that people find it interesting and learn more about these communities.”
3 Aidan adores his little sister Kate, and Shayne has a strong bond with one of his siblings in particular – twin Emma. They were born on 16 October 1984 and have always been tight. “We share similar personalities,” declares the actor. “I guess we think alike, too. It’s funny when people ask if we look identical. If we did, I don’t think she’d walk around with the beard!”
4 Music played a huge role in Shayne’s life from an early age, and he started to sing professionally when he joined the band Destiny. Along with his band mates Tracy Murphy and Tracey Lyle, Shayne would sing covers of songs by Liberty X, Savage Garden, Anastacia, Luther Vandross and ABBA. “They were some of the best days of my life,” he remembers fondly. Years later,
Tracy and Tracey ended up getting married – and
Shayne was their best man.
5 Shayne made it to the big time when he won the second series of The X Factor in 2005. It wasn’t his first attempt at talent show glory – in 2002, he reached the final 30 contestants in Popstars: The Rivals, the show that launched mega-band Girls Aloud. However, Shayne fared better three years later when he beat crooner Andy Abraham to take the crown in Simon Cowell’s series.
6 When Shayne released his winner’s single That’s My Goal, he achieved two milestones – securing 2005’s Christmas number one and being the third-fastest-selling single of all time. Shayne sold 313,000 copies of his track on the first two days, leaving him just behind Elton John’s Candle In the Wind 1997 and Will Young’s Evergreen.
7 When it comes to romance, hunky Shayne is much better behaved than love rat Aidan. He’s engaged to ex-hollyoaks star Sophie Austin (Lindsey Roscoe), who is mum to his daughter Willow. When Shayne proposed to Sophie last Christmas, in front of both their families, Sophie was in her PJS and had her hair tied back with a pair of knickers! “I feel like I’ve known Sophie for a lifetime,” gushes Shayne. “Sophie and Willow complete me.”
8 Former lovers Eva and Aidan are only just back on speaking terms, but Shayne has always been close to cast mate Catherine Tyldesley and her partner Tom Pitfield – and performed at the pair’s wedding. “I sang Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle,” says the actor. “I think it went down well with the guests – I got a standing ovation!”
9 There was a time when Shayne almost became a member of Take That! He was drafted in as a potential replacement for Jason Orange in 2006. Lead singer Gary Barlow wrote about Shayne in autobiography My Take – detailing how the talented star was all lined up before Jason changed his mind and stayed on in the band.
10 Despite being a pop star and a soap hunk, Shayne went on the record about his ordeal at the hands of fat shamers online. The first-time dad suffered a torrent of abuse after putting on a few pounds following Willow’s birth. “I was 21 when I won The X Factor, so of course my body’s going to change,” he told Loose Women. “I enjoy my food, and now that I’m a dad as well, I have a more cuddly figure. I’m happy about that for my little girl.”