Former Coronation Street star Shayne Ward has chosen Samaritans to share in his winnings from his appearance on ITV’s Celebrity World Cup Catchphrase.
Shayne picked up £3,300 as a contestant on the iconic 80’s game show, which is running special World Cup editions during the competition. He battled it out with football greats including Arsenal and England legend turned Sky Sports presenter, Paul Merson, and England Women’s footballer and ITV pundit, Eni Aluko.
The show, which is hosted by Stephen Mulhern, saw the celebs guessing well known phrases from cryptic clues for the chance to win £50,000 for their chosen charity.
Shayne chose to support Samaritans after working closely with the charity on the storyline that saw his Coronation Street character Aidan O’Connor take his own life, with half his winnings also going to the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).
Shayne said: “The response from the public to the story was overwhelming, with people telling me that because of what happened to Aidan, they had reached out for help. Working with Samaritans ensured that we reflected the issue sensitively, but realistically. I have so much respect for the charity and the life-saving work they do.”
While Paul Merson ultimately triumphed, Shayne put in a valiant performance on the show to finish second and was nothing if not quick off the mark with his buzzer. He aced phrases such as ‘racking my brain’ but led host Stephen Mulhern almost to despair before finally working out the slang phrase for playing the piano, ‘tickling the ivories’.
Samaritans CEO Ruth Sutherland said: “Huge thanks to Shayne for choosing to support Samaritans. His kind donation will help to ensure we can continue our vital work.”
You can watch the show from Sunday on the ITV Hub here.
For more information, please contact Samaritans on 020 8394 8300 or [email protected].
- Anyone can contact Samaritans any time for free from any phone on 116 123. The number will not show up on your phone bill. Or email [email protected] or go to www.samaritans.org to find details of your local branch where you can talk to one of our trained volunteers face to face.
- Samaritans is a charity and it’s the public’s kind donations and more than 20,000 trained volunteers that mean we are always there for anyone struggling to cope. Your money or your time could save a life. Find out how you can support us: http://www.samaritans.org/support-us