Coronation Star Catherine Tyldesley said she did not “have to try” to make herself cry while filming her final scene with Shayne Ward.
The actress, who plays Eva Price in the ITV serial drama, will be seen breaking down in tears during her final moments on screen with her ex-fiance Aidan Connor, played by Ward.
Aidan will take his own life in Monday’s episode of the soap following a secret battle with depression, although no scenes depicting the suicide will air.
Prior to his death, Eva and Aidan are involved in a poignant scene where they reveal their love for each other.
Tyldesley told the Sunday Mirror: “The scenes asked for Eva to cry, but I didn’t have to try.
“I replayed all the scenes we had ever played together 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.”
She added: “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.”
Tyldesley, who has appeared on the soap since 2011 and will bow out this year, said the scenes were “incredibly tough to film, because it felt very real”.
“Shayne’s final scenes on his last day of filming were just the two of us out on location at the cottage and it was very emotional,” she said.
The actress said she is “100 per cent behind this storyline” because she has known people who have committed suicide.
Coronation Street is raising awareness of male suicide, described as a silent epidemic that sees an average of 84 men take their own lives every week.
Tyldesley said: “If the storyline can encourage someone to speak out and talk about how they are feeling as a result of watching this story, then surely that is a good thing.”
Monday will mark Ward’s final appearance on screen and an hour-long broadcast will follow on Wednesday, showing the impact of his death on the residents of Weatherfield.