The world of soap is still recovering today after an epic night of partying at the Inside Soap Awards 2025! Often praised by some of your favourite stars as the most fun event in the soaps calendar, the ceremony went off with a bang as Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale all celebrated major victories. Check out the winners list here if you need to catch up, and don’t miss our red carpet gallery too!
Digital Spy was given full access to the event, from red carpet chats to partying with the stars on the dancefloor. So if you want some exclusive gossip on what took place behind closed doors at the party, read on…
1. Sukeve steal the show
EastEnders favourite Heather Peace was named Soap Superstar of the Year at the ceremony, after a strong show of support from fans in the voting.
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Inside Soap readers had hailed Heather’s “courageous and inspiring” portrayal of Eve Panesar-Unwin, calling her “a Northern powerhouse” and “an icon who has always fought for others”.
Proving that there’s just no stopping #Sukeve, Balvinder Sopal – who plays Eve’s wife Suki – was present to hand over the gong.
As last year’s winner in the category, there was no better person to hand it over – with some soap-style jeopardy involved as Bal rushed to be there on time after a gruelling day of Strictly Come Dancing rehearsals!
2. Heather’s moving speech
Heather’s speech upon receiving the prize was undoubtedly the most moving moment of the night. She spoke openly about continuing to film EastEnders after being diagnosed with breast cancer last year and how much she appreciated the support from her castmates, who constantly checked in with her during her journey.
It was genuinely heartwarming to hear how the entire Walford team had rallied round Heather – and how much the fans’ recognition meant to her.
“Thank you to everybody who’s voted for me – all the fans,” Heather said. “This feels like a full stop on a very, very difficult… not just one year, but two years of my life as my wife had breast cancer just before me.
“I don’t think I’ve done anything special to warrant this, to be honest, because I needed work more than work needed me.
“My colleagues at EastEnders are funny, they’re solid, they’re safe and they’re loving and I would not have wanted anything other than to be around the cast and crew of EastEnders at any given opportunity during my illness.
“They lifted me, they made me laugh – and they let me be me, in whatever way I showed up.”
Heather’s speech earned a standing ovation from all of the guests in attendance and left some watching in tears.
Meanwhile, Bal said: “I can’t think of anyone I’d rather hand the baton over to. Through her character, this year’s winner has touched the heart of so many soap fans.”
3. Swarla rises
It was a big night for another soap supercouple, as the success of Coronation Street‘s Swarla was recognised in two categories. Vicky Myers and Alison King were named Best Partnership for their portrayal of Lisa Swain and Carla Connor, while Vicky was also awarded Best Actress after a year of huge storylines.
Vicky also made a well-received speech on the night, reflecting on how the character of Lisa has grown over the years.
“Four years ago, I turned up on the cobbles as a guest artist for four episodes – then four years later I’m collecting this, which is extraordinary,” she said.
“Thank you to everybody at Coronation Street for welcoming me with open arms and all the support and the guidance and the support to the Connor-Swains, who make every day on set an absolute joy.”
She added: “But also, congratulations to all the other actresses in this category – many of whom I’ve watched for years as an aspiring actress and felt inspired. So thank you for continually raising the bar so high.”
4. Stefan adds some Strictly sparkle…
Neighbours star Stefan Dennis also took a break from those tiring Strictly Come Dancing rehearsals to be present at the Inside Soap Awards.
He attended alongside his Strictly partner Dianne Buswell – and the Strictly Come Dancing crew were also in attendance to capture the moment for an upcoming VT in this week’s show, so make sure you tune in for a look at how it all went.
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5. …and some straight-talking too
Stefan was proud as punch as he accepted the Outstanding Achievement award on behalf of Neighbours‘ cast and crew.
But up on stage, Stefan couldn’t resist speaking his mind as he publicly questioned why Neighbours has been axed again, pointing out its strong ratings on Prime Video and enduring fan support.
“Ask Amazon!” he quipped as his speech ended.
Ayisha Salem-Towner, who played Nell Rebecchi, was also in attendance to represent the Neighbours cast.
6. Who else gave speeches?
We’ll let you in on a cheeky secret from the Inside Soap Awards – not every category gets a major speech on the night! Cast and crew love the chance to let loose and party at the event, so there’s just no time to waste with the dancefloor ready and waiting.
With that said, there were some other big speeches on the night including Sally Carman-Duttine giving the speech for Best Soap after Corrie‘s big win in the category. Sally did get briefly distracted though, admitting that she was starstruck over Stefan Dennis’s presence in the room! We know who she’s voting for on Strictly!
Lisa Riley, Bradley Johnson and Karen Blick accepted the Best Family award on behalf of the Dingles. After their ongoing success in the category, Inside Soap editor Sarah Ellis joked that it might have to be renamed “Best Dingles” next year.
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Nick Pickard also had a celebratory moment to remember as he got up on stage to receive the individual version of the Outstanding Achievement prize, after his 30 years in Hollyoaks as Tony Hutchinson.
Modest Nick admitted that he didn’t think he’d last six months in the role of Tony, let alone 30 years. Bravo!
7. Surprise back-from-the-dead cameos
The awards featured some familiar faces who fans may not have expected to see, including Harry Visinoni who played Seb Franklin on Coronation Street.
After returning to Corrie for Abi’s vision scenes earlier in the year, Harry was rightly invited along as his on-screen mum’s emotional PTSD story had won one of the major awards.
Speaking of Corrie, Luca Toolan was in attendance after his dramatic exit as Mason Radcliffe earlier in the year. Chatting to us on the red carpet, he waded in on Betsy’s love triangle by insisting that Mason is still the best guy for her, rather than Dylan or Brody!
Other surprise guests included Hollyoaks‘ Gary Lucy and Charlie Wernham – who else still misses Luke Morgan and the recently-departed Robbie Roscoe?
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8. Hitting the dancefloor
The party lasted until midnight, long after the red carpet and ceremony were done and dusted, with many stars planning to continue the celebrations back at hotels.
We spotted that Emmerdale‘s rising star Bradley Riches (Lewis Barton) was among the last on the dancefloor, keeping the energy levels up long after some of the soap crowd had started to get tired! Bradley was also one of the friendliest stars on the red carpet – keep an eye out on our socials for his full chat!
