Exclusive
'CORRIE MADE ME FAT'
Shayne Ward on his ‘dad bod’, soap rival Danny Dyer and why he left Coronation Street
WHEN he joined Coronation Street in August 2015, Shayne Ward was a chart pin-up who posed topless for countless women’s mags.
Less than three years later, the star has seen his six-pack bloat into a “dad bod” after piling on around THREE STONE.
12
In his first exclusive interview since he announced he is quitting the soap’s famous cobbles, the X Factor winner has admitted he won’t be sorry to say goodbye to Weatherfield because he blames it for his expanding waistline.
The 33-year-old told The Sun: “I will miss it when I leave but it’s not done favours for the dad bod.”
“The canteen has a really great menu but then it also has really naughty food.
“Put it this way — it’s your choice, but then if you eat from the naughty menu you’ve got to make sure you don’t put weight on, which is what happened to me really.
12
“Fish and chips Friday is on every single week and they have lots of sweet food like hot chocolate fudge brownie or rhubarb and apple crumble.”
Shayne shot to fame after winning The X Factor in 2005. His debut track That’s My Goal was the Christmas No1 that year and remains the fastest- selling X Factor winner’s single.
12
But despite winning millions of fans in his heyday, in recent years his canteen-fuelled fuller figure has been cruelly targeted by online trolls.
In a bid to silence the taunts, he stripped off last September as part of Loose Women’s body confidence campaign to emphasise he was happy with his looks.
12
But, with refreshing honesty, Shayne now admits the jibes over his weight affected him more than he let on.
He said: “For guys, if your mate tells you you’ve put on a bit of weight you laugh about it and make it banter.
“But when they’ve left the room you’re left with those comments that can cut like a knife.
“I’m glad the picture of me topless is out there now because not everyone is going to be in the most incredible nick.
12
“What I loved about it was the response on Twitter from guys uploading their body shapes and saying it has inspired them to be confident too.”
And Shayne says he has no immediate plans to get his gym-honed figure back.
He reckons his new shape makes for better cuddles with 16-month-old Willow May, his daughter with wife-to-be and former Hollyoaks actress Sophie Austin, 34.
He said: “I’m up and down with my weight all the time and whether you could call it a dad bod or what I don’t care.
12
“As long as my cuddles are the cuddliest for my little girl then I don’t care about my shape, as long as my health is all right.
“I don’t want to be absolutely ripped to shreds any more.”
Shayne is currently shooting his final scenes as Corrie knicker-factory boss Aidan Connor, the cousin of Kym Marsh’s character Michelle.
As The Sun revealed back in November, his character will be seen for the last time next month, leaving in what insiders at the ITV soap call an “explosive” storyline. Recent scenes have shown him donating a kidney to half-sister Carla Connor and discovering ex-fiancée Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley) — who ditched him at the altar — is pregnant with his child.
12
Shayne has been sworn to secrecy about the fate of his troubled character, but admits that filming his last episodes have taken their toll.
He said: “It can be exhausting. I channel what Aidan’s been through and what he’s put people through and how he just wants to prove to people that he is just a nice guy and he can’t do right by people.
“But also you draw upon certain situations — past times in your life — that you’ve been through that have really got to you that still choke you up now.
“I mean, the way my scenes will pan out in the next month or so, for me it’s been one hell of a ride.”
12
Transforming from struggling pop star to top actor was a move nobody expected Shayne to pull off so well.
But for the first time, he has revealed the secret mentor behind his smooth transition — soap rival Danny Dyer.
Speaking about the EastEnders actor, 40, he said: “I spoke to him before I joined Corrie and he gave me this bit of advice: ‘Keep doing what you’re doing and let’s keep showing them, proving them wrong’.
“And he was right. I came obviously from my singing background into an actor’s job. You can be pigeonholed and what was lovely was Danny saying, ‘Do you know what, you’re always going to get people saying you can’t do something, but just keep proving them wrong’ and he was totally right.
12
“You’ve got to focus on what we can do rather than what people think we can’t.”
Danny’s words of wisdom have clearly had an impact — as Shayne is now targeting a move into prime-time drama.
He said: “I’ve been signed with an acting agency, so I’ve got lots of casting meetings and for me I want to focus on some really serious ITV or BBC dramas.
“Even just watching Peaky Blinders, I’d love to be given the opportunity to be part of something like that. I’d love to do something like Snatch as well, because I just love things like that.
12
“It’s very important that I don’t try to typecast myself but I really want to focus on some serious acting.
“I admire the careers of people like Sarah Lancashire, Katherine Kelly and Suranne Jones — they’ve done incredibly well after Coronation Street.
“So for me personally, I’d like to follow in their footsteps and get into these great dramas.”
But Shayne has not ruled out a return to music — and is even eyeing getting back together with the man who made him famous, X Factor boss Simon Cowell, 58.
12
He said: “I’d never, ever, ever close the door on singing because I have a voice and I know I’m a good singer so I’ll never ever stop doing that. I’ve not spoken to Simon in years but it would be brilliant if I’m ever down at an event where he’s at . . . I’d have a great catch-up.
“He was my old boss and I’ve got a lot of time for Simon.”
Earlier this month Shayne dipped his toe back into the music world by releasing a cover version of George Michael’s 1986 track A Different Corner.
He explained: “I’ve always loved George Michael over the years and my favourite song by him has always been A Different Corner.
12
MOST READ IN BIZARRE
“It’s always been one of those songs I never ever performed until sadly his passing.
“For me it was paying homage to an absolute idol of mine, in the most respectful way possible and it’s been received really well so I’m happy.”
Shayne Ward reveals he has been trolled online after appearing topless
Topics