Strictly Come Dancing contestant Shayne Ward played Aiden Connor on Coronation Street for three years before his character was killed off and his former co-star hinted that he didn’t leave the soap by choice

Strictly star Shayne Ward’s former on-screen sister in Corrie said the actor would probably be ‘upset’ over leaving the ITV soap because it was a ‘difficult thing to deal with’.

Shayne Ward first shot to fame when he won the second series of the X Factor in 2005. His debut single That’s My Goal reached number one in the UK charts in the same year. Clearly at ease with performing on stage in front of an audience, Shayne has been signed up for the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing and has revealed he is absolutely “buzzing” over being given the chance to try and lift the glitterball trophy.

After his pop career started to wane, Shayne, 39, turned to acting and landed the part of Aiden Connor in Coronation Street. Aiden was the half brother of Underworld factory owner Carla Connor and he was brought in to help her run the business. Shayne, who won National Television and Inside Soap Awards for the part, played Aiden for three years until the character was involved in a devastating storyline that saw him take his own life.

At the time of his departure it was generally assumed that Shayne had decided to leave the ITV soap of his own accord. Although he admitted he was sad to be leaving Weatherfield, he spoke about how his role had had a negative impact on his waistline after he gained three stone in weight.

“I will miss it when I leave but it’s not done favours for the dad bod,” he told The Sun. “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,” he said.

The Connor family, with Faye second from right (Image: PA)

Although it was never confirmed or denied if Shayne had jumped ship, his other on screen sister Faye Brookes, who played Kate Connor for four years, spoke about his departure and hinted that it wasn’t his choice and he was actually sacked. “I still feel really sad about it, and I think he’s probably going to be upset about it until he goes,” she said at the time before adding: “It’s a difficult thing to deal with, but I totally understand why they’ve done it. I’m absolutely devastated that he’s going, but I also realise you have to go with the changes.”

Faye and Shayne were very close thanks to the amount of hours they spent together filming so she would have known what his mindset was like over his Corrie exit. “He is like my brother off screen, too,” she explained, “and probably the only person I truly confide in at work. He came in at the same time as me, he has the same background as my boyfriend, and he gets me and he gets Gareth [Gates]. But he will take the bull by the horns and go with it.”

Shayne, who is married to former Hollyoaks actress Sophie Austin, went on to release more music and stars in crime drama The Good Ship Murder with Catherine Tyldesley. He is now looking forward to strutting his stuff on the dancefloor with professional partner Nancy Xu and has said he will give it everything he’s got. “I’m no stranger to live TV, but dancing Latin and Ballroom in front of millions is a whole new level,” he admitted. “No promises on my dancing ability, but I will give it my best shot.”

Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday nights on BBC1.