ITV viewers were left in tatters yesterday evening (June 6) after a heart-warming tribute was paid to the late Paul O'Grady, just months after he passed away at the age of 67. The biggest soap night of the year kicked off at pm, with starts from the likes of Coronation Street, Emmerdale, EastEnders and Hollyoaks coming together for the glamourous awards ceremony.
Hosted by Jane McDonald, the show eventually came to a pause as ITV paid tribute to a number of soap stars who have recently passed away in a remembrance segment. And viewers, as well as members of the live audience were left emotional as Paul's face popped up, followed by a clip of him on stage at a previous Soap Awards night.
The tributes also started flooding in on social media, with various viewers taking to Twitter in memory of the beloved TV personality. One, wrote: "Paul O'Grady," followed by a heartbreak emoji, while another, added: "I was okay until Paul."
Read more: Paul O'Grady: A life in pictures
A third, went on: "Seeing Paul O’Grady still make me cry," while a fourth, simply put it: "Oh Paul," alongside a crying emoji. Another, continued: "Sobbing at the Paul o Grady memories on the soap awards."
Paul passed away 'unexpectedly but peacefully' at the age of 67 at his home, March 28. His official death certificate later confirmed that he died from sudden cardiac arrhythmia - with The British Heart Foundation describing sudden arrhythmic death syndrome as a person dying suddenly following a cardiac arrest where no obvious cause can be found.
Paul had also been very outspoken about his prior battles with heart disease, citing that he endured three heart attacks before he hit 65. His funeral came almost a month after his passing on April 20, which saw a number of animals forming a guard of honour - as a touching tribute to his kind and selfless endeavours with the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
In the British Soap Awards, Corrie trumped all others with a whopping six gongs. They achieved fold for Best Single Episode, Scene of the Year, Best Dramatic Performance, Best Comedy Performer, Best Newcomer and Best Family.
EastEnders meanwhile, won four awards - including Best Soap - while two went to Hollyoaks. Emmerdale and Doctors received one accolade a piece retrospectively.
Coronation Street's acid attack storyline involving Daisy Midgeley (Charlotte Jordan), Ryan Connor (Ryan Prescott) and Justin Rutherford (Andrew Still) achieved two awards in its own right. Evelyn Plummer actress Maureen Lipman was also crowned as the Best Comedy Performer, beating off stiff competition in the form of Hollyoaks' Kieron Richardson, EastEnders' Jonny Freeman, Emmerdale's Samantha Giles, and Doctors actor Ian Midlane.
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