CORONATION Street star Daniel Brocklebank shared how Paul Foreman’s death storyline impacted him.
Daniel, 44, has played Billy Mayhew – who married Paul last year – since joining the ITV soap in 2014.
Paul received his devastating MND diagnosis last year[/caption]
Daniel has opened up about the storyline’s emotional toll[/caption]
Paul passed away in emotional scenes aired last month[/caption]
Billy has now lost his husband after a battle with motor neurone disease.
Having a personal connection to MND through his grandfather, Daniel revealed how he unwound afterwards.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun Online at the Inside Soap Awards, the star said: “I’ve just had a couple of weeks on holiday, so that was my decompression.
“Obviously, after Paul’s death storyline, we then had about 10 weeks of the aftermath of that.
“I feel decompressed now. Tanned and decompressed.”
Elsewhere in the interview, he reflected on feedback received from fans.
Daniel revealed: “This storyline’s been such hard work.
“For the audience to have been on board with it as much as they have been, we’re thrilled.
“That means it’s done exactly what we hoped it would do.”
Viewers were left teary when Paul died in emotional scenes aired last month.
To add further heartbreak, Billy narrowly missed making it to the hospital on time to say his goodbyes.
Meanwhile, Peter Ash chatted about the viewers’ response to his character’s last storyline.
He said: “It’s been phenomenal, it really has.
“I don’t think any of us would’ve imagined what the response to this storyline would’ve been when we started it.
“The fact that people have resonated with it so much. It’s incredible, honestly.
“We feel so privileged to be part of this storyline, to raise awareness and bang the drum for MND.”
Most devastating soap deaths
SOAP viewers are frequently left heartbroken after watching some of their favourite characters bite the dust.
Here is a list of the most devastating deaths that have taken place in soapland over the years.
EASTENDERS
Barry Evans – Evil Janine (Charlie Brooks) lured her trusting fiance to Scotland for a quickie marriage after learning he was dying.
Her plan to inherit Barry’s fortune was thwarted when Barry told her that the doctors had mixed up his medical files.
Furious that she was no longer set for a windfall, she pushed Barry off a cliff after telling him their love was “fake”.
Bradley Branning – Bradley was accused of killing Stacey Slater’s rapist Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) after he punched him twice on the night he died.
He was spotted in the Square by a police woman who chased him up a fire escape.
Bradley lost his balance and tragically plunged to his death.
CORONATION STREET
Tina McIntyre – Tina was getting it on with Peter Barlow – despite him being married to Carla Connor.
When she threatened to reveal the truth, Carla’s brother Rob got into a physical altercation with her.
Tina lost her footing and fell off a balcony – then warned Rob she was going to tell the cops he pushed her.
In a panic, Rob brutally clobbered her over the head with a metal pipe.
Molly Dobbs – Molly was one of the victims in Corrie’s 2010 tram crash, alongside Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold).
Married to Tyrone (Alan Halsall), Molly had been having an affair with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) in the months before her death.
This resulted in the birth of their son, Jack (Kyran Bowes), who was named after Jack Duckworth.
As fate would have it, Kevin’s wife Sally (Sally Dynevor) was by Molly’s side in her final moments.
Sally was stunned as Molly confessed Kevin was Jack’s father, before dying of her injuries.
Vera Duckworth – Having appeared regularly in Corrie since the 1970s, there was no denying Vera Duckworth was an iconic character.
Alongside her husband Jack, the pair formed one of the soap’s most beloved couples.
Viewers were heartbroken when Vera was killed off in 2008, being discovered having passed away peacefully in her chair.
Liz Dawn, who played Vera, made a brief return two years later for Bill Tarmey’s exit as Jack.
Paul Foreman – Fans were heartbroken when Paul Foreman succumbed to his illness after battling motor neurone disease.
Introduced in 2018 as David Platt’s (Jack P. Shepherd) cellmate, he later embarked on a romance – and marriage – with vicar Billy Mayhew.
The MND storyline was announced in 2023 – with the expectation it would result in the character’s death.
EMMERDALE
Sarah Sugden – After the family got into financial problems, Sarah’s son Andy (Kelvin Fletcher) decided to make some quick cash from an insurance company by setting fire to the Sugden barn.
He didn’t realise his mum was inside the building, and she got trapped in the blaze.
Nine villagers – The shocking 1993 plane crash episode brought in 18 million viewers for Emmerdale.
Mark Hughes was killed by a falling wall, Archie Brooks was burned by jet fuel, Elizabeth Pollard was killed by debris and newcomer Leonard Kempinski died in a car crash caused by the crash.
Five other non-recurring characters from the village also died.
HOLLYOAKS
Carmel McQueen – The talented singer died in shocking scenes when a train crashed into a her family’s car.
Carmel managed to free her cousin Theresa from the rubble – but got stuck in it herself.
Moments later the train exploded and Carmel died in the arms of her family members, promising to be their guardian angel.
The ITV soap emerged as the the big winners at this year’s Inside Soap Awards.
In addition to Peter winning ‘Best Actor’, he and Daniel were also named as ‘Best Partnership’.
The event also saw Paul’s MND recognised as ‘Best Storyline’ while the show took home the prestigious ‘Best Soap’ prize.
Coronation Street airs on ITV and is available to watch on ITVX.
Paul’s MND was recognised as ‘Best Storyline’ at the Inside Soap Awards 2024[/caption]
