Emmerdale star John Middleton has said his British Soap Award nominations are indicative of how many people are affected by dementia.
The actor, whose character Ashley Thomas died on the show earlier this year after a long battle with the illness, said he hopes the plotline has helped raise awareness about the disease.
Arriving at the ceremony at The Lowry in Salford, where he is nominated for best actor, best male dramatic performance and best on-screen partnership with Charlotte Bellamy, he told the Press Association: “It is overwhelming, it’s great, but what it really means is how relevant the story is.
“Eight hundred and fifty thousand are diagnosed with dementia in this country now, that is going to rise to two million by 2050, it’s an amazingly relevant story and it affects so many people, one in three.”
Charlotte, who plays Ashley’s wife Laurel and is nominated for best actress, added: “The storyline has certainly created awareness, without a doubt, we just bumped into somebody from another soap and he immediately came up and wanted to talk about his dad.
“It does have that effect, it connects with the audience. Everyone, it seems, is suffering from it, it affects everyone, from extended family to friends.”
The plotline is also nominated for best single episode, for the instalment that showed life from Ashley’s point of view, and best storyline.
John added he is hopeful the ITV show can retain the best British soap crown, which it won for the first time last year.
He said: “Our story has been great but there are so many other stories that have been absolutely fantastic as well, I think we stand a very good chance.”
John will compete in the best actor category with his co-star Danny Miller, who plays Aaron Dingle and who won the trophy last year.
He said: “I always consider myself lucky to be here in the first place, there are 60 members of the cast at Emmerdale so to be representing the show is a real honour,
“If either one of us is up there representing Emmerdale it’s a bonus. With John over the last 20 years, he’s been amazing, so if John wins I would be as equally happy as I would be if I did.”
Danny joked that if the endless misery Aaron faces on the show were to come to an end it would mean his days in the Dales were numbered.
He said: “It would be nice to find a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. With Aaron so many people have stood there with him in the last ten years, he gets a little bit of happiness and then it’s taken away from him, but at the end of the day, when his misery ends I think Aaron’s life in Emmerdale is finished and that means bad things for my mortgage.”
:: The British Soap Awards 2017 will be shown on ITV at 8pm on Tuesday June 6.
