Coronation Street tackles taboo of male suicide as Aidan takes his own life

Coronation Street has been tackling the taboo of male suicide with a storyline that brought ITV the two most watched programmes across all channels on Monday night.

Many viewers praised the soap for tackling mental health and male suicide, saying Aidan's suicide story would have a huge impact.

The first episode of Monday's double bill was watched by six million viewers, giving the channel a 31% share of viewing, peaking at 6.6 million and the second was watched by 5.9 million.

The episodes saw Aidan, played by Shayne Ward, take his own life off-screen after he reunited with his former fiance Eva Price.

Viewers, clearly touched by the episode, said it reminded them of their own experiences with suicide and said it would save lives.

One person tweeted: "Oh I'm sobbing! This is real life, this happens! 84 men each week commit suicide! Coronation street this story line will save lives!"

Wednesday night's double bill saw the residents of Weatherfield finding out that he had died.

Viewers said they struggled to keep watching the episode as the aftermath of Aidan's suicide shed light on the grief experienced by those left behind.

If you are in distress or need some support, the Samaritans are available 24 hours a day on 116 123 or through their website.

The website is: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help-you