Coronation Street's Ryan Connor sees his scarred face for the first time tonight following his heartbreaking acid attack.
The character, played by Ryan Prescott, 34, was injured by crazed stalker Justin, who threw acid over him while trying to target barmaid Daisy.
Ryan is currently in hospital recovering, but hasn't seen his scars - until now.
With Carla there for support, he tells the surgeon he’s ready to look at his injuries. But as Ryan stares at his face, the doctor breaks the news he's not healing as they had hoped and therefore needs a skin graft.
Later, Daisy and Carla head into Ryan’s room to discover him missing. After a search party is organised, they find him by the tram station, visibly traumatised.
Speaking about the hard-hitting storyline, Ryan said: "For Ryan, I don’t think he expects it to be as bad as it is. He has never seen major burns before so he doesn’t know what to expect and because he has been in bandages for so long he gets into a little comfortable zone with just wearing the bandages.
"Once his facial injuries are revealed to him, it knocks it right out of him again. The initial glances are heartbreaking. The first time he sees his face, he is thinking, “I am never going to have love in my life again."
The actor says he wanted to tackle the controversial subject to "open up a dialogue about acid attack survivors".
Admitting acid violence was much more prevalent than he thought, Ryan also shared details about wearing prosthetics, saying his cast 'fully covered his face' apart from a 'tiny hole near his mouth'.
Speaking about the storyline last month, Charlotte Jordan, who plays Daisy, admitted the plot took her by surprise.
She said: "When I was first told about this storyline, I really didn’t see this coming. It’s not something you see a lot on television so I was really surprised.
"There is a fear lurking in the back of Daisy’s mind since Justin was released on bail. She has always been thinking, 'Will Justin retaliate in some way?'
Meanwhile, producer Iain MacLeod said: "We were keen to show the long-term reality for people subjected to this kind of attack.
"The story will, at times, be heartbreaking, but we felt it was an important one to tell."
Many fans have praised the soap for tackling the subject, with one tweeting: "These acid attacks are sadly common and it needed showing and the effect this crime has on the victim."
