Coronation Street is currently moving viewers to tears with the heartbreaking story of terminally ill child Oliver Battersby, and actor Ben Price says he cries for real when the cameras stop rolling.
Ben, who plays Oliver's stepdad Nick Tilsley, says that as a father-of-two the scenes have affected him.
Oliver has Mitochondrial disease and this week the hospital breaks the news to his mum Leanne Battersby and dad Steve McDonald that they've had to up three-year-old Oliver’s sedation again as his seizures are beyond their control and life support is the only thing keeping him alive.
Ben, 48, says he feels responsibility as an actor to tell such an important story which has moved him to tears in real-life.
"It's hard. I've got kids," he said.
"It's great and it's important but I'd be lying if I said I don't go home sometimes and read the next bunch of scripts and have a little cry.
"You feel it. You've got to.
"On a whole it's fine. You turn it on, but sometimes Jane does something or someone does something and it just cuts you."
"What an amazing story. I want to know what happens."
Ben, who has played Nick since 2009, is full of praise for Corrie co-star Jane Danson who plays Leanne.
"Jane is amazing. She carries it and she has carried it for the last six months or a year," he said.
"It's hard I'll be honest. The way we're filming now you're in the hospital all day every day, filming has changed.
"It's amazing don't get me wrong. It's fantastic to have the story.
"But being in a hospital for 12 hours a day going over diagnosis of a child dying it's a day you're having day after day."
Coronation Street has worked closely with The Lily Foundation, a charity which supports families living with mitochondrial disease, on the story.
The Lily Foundation was founded in 2007 by Liz Curtis in memory of her daughter Lily, who died from mitochondrial disease at eight months old.
Professor Robert McFarland from the Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research in Newcastle was also consulted to ensure script accuracy.
Mitochondrial disease is the term given to a group of medical disorders caused by mutations in mitochondria, the tiny organelles that are present in nearly every cell in our bodies which generate about 90 per cent of the energy we need to live.
Cells cannot function properly without healthy mitochondria, so when they fail the consequences can be serious.
There is currently no cure for mitochondrial diseases, so those diagnosed face an uncertain future.
A person with mitochondrial disease may suffer from seizures, fatigue, vision and hearing loss, cognitive disabilities, respiratory problems or poor growth. Any of the body's organs and systems can be affected including the brain, heart, lungs, gut, liver and skin.
If you are affected or are living with someone who has a mitochondrial disease, for information about the disease and the support available visit thelilyfoundation.org.uk
