Ryan Hawley has expressed immense pride at being included in tonight's landmark Corriedale episode, despite having only recently made his comeback to Emmerdale.
The actor, who plays Robert Sugden, revealed he sacrificed celebrating a significant milestone to take part in the historic soap crossover.
"It was my 40th birthday, and I cancelled it," Mr Hawley admitted to GB News and other press.
"Because they said, 'You know, there's that', and I was like, 'Well, yeah. I want to be part of it (Corriedale).'"
Corriedale aired tonight after weeks of anticipation from fans | ITVLuckily, the soap star did eventually manage to reschedule his birthday celebrations for a time when he wasn't caught up in the large-scale disaster scenes.
Following an early viewing of the episode last month, the actor spoke glowingly about his soap co-stars.
"I'm immensely proud not just to be part of it, but to be part of an incredible cast - I thought every single person was just incredible, and it's amazing what we can do," he said.
Corriedale marks a never-before-seen moment in the ITV soaps, bringing together the residents of Weatherfield and their Yorkshire counterparts for the very first time.
Ryan's Emmerdale character Robert gets caught up in the Corriedale drama alongside Aaron
|ITV
The hour-long special centred on a devastating multi-vehicle collision that threw characters from both soaps into chaos.
Mr Hawley's character, Robert, featured prominently in the dramatic scenes as he attempted to find Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) amid the chaos of the crash site.
The actor's return to Emmerdale earlier this year was foreshadowed when observant viewers noticed Robert's mugshot displayed on a wanted poster at Weatherfield police station during a Coronation Street episode last year.
His Corriedale storyline saw him facing danger from the villainous John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth), a former army medic who returned with sinister intentions towards Aaron.
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The worlds of the two ITV soaps collided in Corriedale | ITV The villain is determined to win back Aaron regardless of the consequences, even if that means killing Robert.
Despite his enthusiasm for the project, Mr Hawley confessed that viewing his own performances remains a challenge.
"I don't particularly enjoy the experience," he acknowledged following the premiere.
However, the actor was struck by the quality of work delivered by the ensemble cast.
"Honestly, I was blown away by how good everyone was," he said.
Mr Hawley also paid tribute to director Duncan Foster, echoing sentiments shared by other cast members about his leadership on set.
"Everyone just enjoys working with him because you just, you know 100 per cent you can trust him and he'll get a great performance out of you. He knows absolutely everything," the actor explained.