Note: The following article contains discussion of themes including suicide that some readers may find upsetting.
Hollyoaks favourite Ashley Taylor Dawson has weighed in on his decision to start a YouTube channel.
He portrays Darren Osborne in the soap – a close friend of the late Kyle Kelly (who died by suicide earlier this week, played by Adam Rickitt) – and in recent conversation with Digital Spy, Ashley revealed he's found a new way to communicate with his fans.
Related: Hollyoaks star Ashley Taylor Dawson addresses flashforward episode challenges after filming break
"My social media has been crazy, the feedback [to Darren's depression storyline] has been overwhelming so I decided to start my own YouTube channel," he told us.
"I find it very hard when you are talking to someone on social media as it turns into a conversation and almost a friendship. It's very hard to take that responsibility on when you are not trained to do that.
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"In this isolation period, I had a think about what I could do to help so I started the YouTube channel, which is basically like a podcast, and it's with a guy who is a resilience coach."
Through this new avenue, Ashley says it's a "way of me being able to accept what I've been doing with this storyline and how it impacts people".
He likens it to educating himself, "but from an open perspective so people can understand we are all human and we are all learning".
Hollyoaks airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first-look episodes airing on E4 at 7pm. Wednesdays through Fridays on E4 feature classic episodes called Hollyoaks Favourites to compensate for the soap suspending filming.
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Organisations who can offer support include Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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