Shayne’s thanks to NHS staff who saved his fiancée
The pop star and actor tells Katie Fitzpatrick his reasons for releasing a new charity song and what he’s done in lockdown
FIFTEEN years ago Shayne Ward triumphed as the winner of the second series of the X Factor, and now he’s riding high in the charts again with a song dedicated to the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic.
The singer and actor from Clayton has released a new version of the timeless classic Over The Rainbow, which he performed on the final of the ITV singing contest.
He was encouraged by his mum Philomena, 62, to release the song to help the NHS, which peaked at number one in the iTunes chart earlier this week.
Shayne, who played Aidan Connor in Corrie from 2015 to 2018, says his mum is his ‘number one champion’ – and he won some serious brownie points in lockdown by working on her front garden in Droylsden. He did the heavy-duty work on some stone blocks while social distancing.
“I’d been promising to do it since 2007,” he told the M.E.N. “I was wearing protective goggles so I waved at her through the window so that she knew it was me.”
Fans will be excited to hear that as well as releasing Over The Rainbow, with proceeds going to the NHS Charities Together Covid-19 Urgent Appeal – supporting NHS staff and volunteers caring for coronavirus patients – Shayne has been using his time in lockdown to work on new material.
He received high praise for his role in Corrie, winning best single episode and best storyline at The British Soap Awards in 2019 for his moving portrayal of Aidan, who took his own life after secretly struggling with his mental health.
“I’ve loved being back in the studio,” said Shayne about his return to music.
“People remember Over The Rainbow from 15 years ago and I’m now releasing it for the NHS.
“My mum also asked me to release it. She’s missing her children. We’ve been FaceTiming but it’s so hard because you want to hug your mum. I just want to give her a big hug and hold her hand.
“She loves the song and she’s my number one champion.”
Shayne, 35, has relished the opportunity in lockdown to spend more time with his three-year-old daughter Willow and fiancée Sophie Austin, 36, who played killer nurse Lindsey Butterfield in the Channel Four soap Hollyoaks.
Last year Sophie thanked the NHS for her care after she ended up in hospital – with the life-threatening condition sepsis – following a routine operation.
Tagging in NHS Million, a movement to show how much Brits love their NHS, she wrote on her Instagram: “I just want to say a huge thank you to our @nhsmillion and Macclesfield Hospital for everything they do.
“I honestly can’t express how lucky we are to have the most amazing health care and they are there when we need them!
“Their actions were so quick and I’m so grateful! Please let’s look after our healthcare system and protect them because they certainly try and look after us.”
Sepsis, a complication of infection that can lead to multiple organ failure and death, kills 44,000 people every year in the UK.
It happens when the immune system overreacts to an infection and starts to damage the body’s own tissues and organs.
“It’s a blessing to have been able to spend as much time as we have with our little girl,” said Shayne about family time in lockdown.
“Myself and Sophie have been very proactive. She’s been working on monologues and I’ve been in the studio. And I created the video for Over the Rainbow in my office using a clothes rail and using my daughter’s blackout curtain.”
He added: “Being in lockdown has been like a reset button and it feels like I’ve got my inspiration back and I’m excited.
“It’s my way of showing my appreciation to the NHS.
“I come from a huge family and Sophie has been in hospital with sepsis. They’re incredible and I want to do so much for them.”