Emmerdale's Dominic Brunt recalls 'life-changing' moment on ITV soap
Emmerdale star Dominic Brunt has played the loveable character Paddy Kirk in the ITV soap since 1997.
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ITV star Dominic Brunt has detailed the moment that changed his life forever before the nation came to love his portrayal of Paddy Kirk.
Although the soap star has been in Emmerdale for over two decades, this year he received his first-ever National Television Awards nomination.
It comes after fans saw the character tackle a heartbreaking mental health storyline following his wife, Chas Dingle’s affair.
Speaking about attending the ceremony, the 53-year-old confessed that although he was nervous, he was thrilled to be nominated in the first place.
He said: “I’m nervous but will try and just enjoy it without worrying about seeing myself on the big screen.
“I’m really looking forward to it. I don’t care if I don’t win. It sounds cheesy but I absolutely mean it.
“I felt like I’d won all the awards when I got the job.”
Dominic recalled the time he found out he had the chance to star in the soap which launched his career.
He said: “I still remember I was on a mate's settee, subletting a front room in London when I got a phone call for an audition and it changed my life completely.
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“I just want to enjoy the night. The thought that I’ve been nominated for an NTA is enough for me.”
With Paddy’s storyline, the soap worked closely with Andy’s Man Club, a men’s suicide prevention charity, to break the stigma surrounding men speaking about their feelings.
As fans praised the harrowing plot, Dominic confessed Paddy’s storyline seems to have raised awareness.
He continued: “I spoke to the charity Andy’s Man Club and they said their attendance levels went up due to the storyline.
“If we’ve saved someone from that suffering, that level of depression, where they felt they needed to go and get help, then that feels like it’s a massive job done really.”
Dominic is up for the Best Serial Drama Performance alongside many of his other Emmerdale co-stars including Chris Bisson, Emma Atkins and Jeff Hordley.
Emmerdale’s Kevin Mathurin and Lucy Pargeter are also up for the award.
The National Television Awards will air on 5 September on ITV from 7:30 pm