James Sutton is "proud" to be part of Hollyoaks' rape storyline.
The 30-year-old actor - who plays John Paul McQueen in the Channel 4 drama - will see his alter-ego sexually attacked by student Finn O'Connor (Keith Rice) in coming months, but he's pleased he's involved in such a shocking story because it may help people who have been affected by a similar situation.
He said: "I've never felt more proud of the show.
"It's not our responsibility to cover issues like this but because of our audience it's an opportunity.
"It's an important issue. There are a lot of kids watching and if we make a difference with just one then we've done our job."
The hunky star spent a lot of time meeting male rape victims to help him portray the emotions his character goes through in the correct way, but he wasn't prepared for what he learnt.
He explained: "What I found the most shocking is while the assault itself is truly horrific, the impact it has on the victim afterwards can be devastating."
Meanwhile, the soap has received some criticisms for making Finn the attacker because he's not gay, but James claims that's why show bosses picked him for the role.
Speaking to Soap Squawk, he said: "It's great they have picked Finn because it does seem out of character.
"That's given Keith Rice, the actor who plays him, a wonderful and vivid journey to go on.
"He's an excellent actor and the audience will be shocked and amazed when they see his performance."
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