Ian Bartholomew has reflected on playing Geoff Metcalfe after winning three gongs for his portrayal of the character at the Inside Soap Awards.
The actor, 66, took home the awards for both Best Actor and Best Villain for his role as well as winning a joint Best Show-Stopper with actress Shelley King who plays his wife and victim Yasmeen.
Reflecting on the storyline, Ian said: ‘Witnessing Shelley crumbling as Yasmeen, and watching this character that I was playing destroy her in front of me was actually really quite upsetting.
Big winner! Ian Bartholomew has reflected on playing Geoff Metcalfe after winning THREE gongs for his portrayal of the character at the Inside Soap Awards
‘I felt bad doing all those things, but we both wanted to do it as well and as truthfully as we could.’
When asked about public reaction, he added: ‘I did see the episode of Gogglebox where they watched it – they were all delighted that Geoff got some kind of comeback!’
Whilst Shelley said of the reaction she received: ‘People were shouting at me from their cars, going, “Yeah, good on ya, Yas!” It was lovely.
Corrie made headlines when it depicted the hard-hitting topic of coercive control, as Yasmeen found herself increasingly isolated and belittled by her husband Geoff.
Harrowing: Corrie made headlines when it depicted the hard-hitting topic of coercive control (pictured Ian as Geoff and Yasmeen, played by Shelley King)
The storyline saw Yasmeen fight back before being jailed for the crime, with fans eagerly awaiting Geoff’s comeuppance when the trial begins next month.
Ian was the big winner at the first-ever virtual Inside Soap Awards, taking home three trophies and becoming the most decorated star on the night.
The event was streamed on the Inside Soap Facebook page and YouTube channel on Monday so fans could still take part in some of the excitement.
However, despite Ian taking home three gongs for Corrie, it was rival EastEnders that reigned triumphant overall.
Celebrations: The on-screen husband and wife met up for receive their joint award for the Best Show-Stopper category
Tough: Talking about the Yasmeen’s abuse plot, Ian said, ‘I felt bad doing all those things, but we both wanted to do it as well and as truthfully as we could’ (Shelley is pictured in character)
The BBC soap managed to nab a total of five awards, including the prestigious Best Soap accolade.
Jessica Plummer won the award for Best Actress for her role as Chantelle Atkins in EastEnders, describing the win as ‘one of the biggest achievements of my career’.
The star, 28, who is currently taking part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! said: ‘This is probably one of the biggest achievements of my career. It was an honour to even be nominated, so I’m completely blown away.
‘I came off social media for a quite long time (for me!) after my final episode aired as I personally had to mourn my character and all the changes in my life, but when I came back, the reception I got from everyone was so heartwarming.
Riding high: EastEnders’ Jessica Plummer, who is currently appearing in the I’m A Celebrity jungle, also won an award for Best Actress
Sweet: Inside Soap also saw the introduction of Best Feel-Good Moment, with one being Chas giving birth to her daughter Eve, however it was EastEnders celebrating Pride which scooped the gong on the night
‘Chantelle was a loved character and it really was an honour to play her.’
Danny Dyer and Kellie Bright won the award for Best Partnership for their roles as Mick and Linda Carter in EastEnders.
Danny said of their win: ‘We have been through so much together on this show. It is always a joy to come and work with Kellie. She is a brilliant actress.’
Lorraine Stanley also took home the trophy for Funniest Performance in her role as Karen Taylor.
The soap also won the award for Feel-Good Moment, which was awarded for the scenes in which Walford celebrated Pride.
Elsewhere, Neighbours was named Best Daytime Soap, whilst Stefan Dennis was the Best Daytime Star, and Cathy Shipton won the gong for Best Drama Star.