Coronation Street star James Cartwright has revealed that he was left tearful after filming a key scene in his character Theo Silverton’s dark storyline. Show bosses are currently exploring the issue of domestic abuse in a same sex relationship with Theo and his boyfriend Todd Grimshaw.

James opened up over filming the tough plot in a new exclusive interview with Soap Scoop, the podcast from Inside Soap magazine with in-depth cast chats every week.

Reflecting on the challenges of the sensitive subject matter, the actor revealed that he was particularly affected by a recent scene which saw Theo’s abuse turn physical for the first time.

During a heated row, Theo berated Todd for not supporting him after he’d attended a difficult mediation session with his estranged wife Danielle. Todd had returned home with kebabs for them to share, but Theo completely lost it by humiliating his partner and trying to force-feed him.

“There was a scene where Theo shoved a kebab in Todd’s face. I’ve never told anyone – not the press anyway – but when I got in the car on the way home, I cried,” James explained.

“Just because, when you’re acting, what’s funny about it is the brain knows you’re acting but the body doesn’t so you hold it. If you have a massive row with your partner, even if you go for a walk, you sort of hold it, don’t you?

“It was that, really. I just got in the car and it was like I was releasing it and I cried.”

He continued: “There’s a horrible bit where if you watch the scene, I grab his face and I put in the kebab in, which was horrible. Then he turns away and he’s such a lovely lad and he turns away and I physically re-correct his face to carry on.

“That moment of imposing yourself on someone felt horrible.”

James revealed that his positive working relationship with Gareth Pierce, who plays Todd, has made it easier to film such challenging material.

He said: “We’re both very respectful and as we talk about it, we say: ‘Is that okay? Are you all right?’ We’ll run through it and we work it out. With soap, you only get one or two takes. If it was a movie, you’d probably have a few days’ rehearsal.

“It’s really important to make sure everybody feels okay because it can be quite upsetting for both parties. It’s not nice for anyone, so we just talk about it really and find a nice place where everybody’s happy – and there’s more coming up.”

Check out James’ full interview with Soap Scoop for more revelations about the future of Theo and Todd’s storyline and how it could end when the time comes…