Standing on stage, barely holding back tears and struggling to express his startled elation at being named best actor at last night’s Bafta awards in London, the first words to leave Robert Aramayo’s mouth were “wow”.

His next few words, chosen after a brief and only half successful attempt to compose himself, were “I absolutely can’t believe this.” And how could he. Aramayo, 33, had not only unexpectedly beaten the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothée Chalamet to capture his grand prize, but had also collected the rising star award earlier in the evening, becoming the first actor or actress in history to win both awards on the same night. It was, in his own words, unbelievable.

Watching his former student at home, drama teacher Andy Feetom did not share Aramayo’s disbelief.

“For me the rising star award was a foregone conclusion, everyone north of the Watford gap will have been voting for him,” said Feetom. “And I wasn’t shocked at the best actor win, why couldn’t he win that? He was doing double takes when his name was read out but he’s earned it, the lad’s done great.”

Feetom, 53, says that in the 25 years he taught drama at Wyke College, a sixth form college in Hull where he also taught comedian Lucy Beaumont and actor Marc Pickering, Aramayo stood out as one of the best he’d seen. He even recalled that the only advice or notes he could give the then teenager to help with the practical part of his A-level drama exam was to trim down his performance so as to not exceed the time limits, likening it to shaving off gold.

“It’s funny, I can’t remember the year that I taught Rob and I can’t even remember what grade he got for the practical, but I can remember his performance. It was mesmerising,” said Feetom. “He was great then, as he is today.”

Aramayo excelled at drama, both in and outside school, and his passion led him to apply to Juilliard, the renowned New York-based drama school, which he chose after Googling “Best drama school in the world” and seeing it at the top of the search results.

Feetom said that his doubts about going to the US and the financial constraints that could prevent it were swiftly brushed aside by his father, who told his son, in Feetom’s words: “We’ll worry about the money later, just do whatever you can to get your arse over there.”

One of his teachers at Juilliard, which he attended between 2011 and 2015, praised Aramayo as an example of what can be achieved when you are a diligent, genuine person who cares about their passions.

“Our student body is pretty international but I don’t think we’ve had anyone from Hull before,” Richard Feldman said. “But I have to say, his pride about being from there, and his whole background, is a very big part of who Rob is, and he brought that pride and energy to the school and the class.”

Feldman also said that Aramayo, who had to affect American accents for his roles in Juilliard productions, was “one of the hardest workers that’s ever come through the school” as well as one of the nicest.

“In our world, you know that it’s not always true that the good people always are the ones who come to the top and it’s particularly a mixed bag with artists, and great artists aren’t always fine people,” said Feldman. “But it’s really wonderful when an artist is also a fine person, and Rob is that. The person who accepted that award, that’s who Rob really is.”

For Mark Babych, the artistic director at Hull Truck theatre where Aramayo featured as a teen, Sunday night’s victory was the culmination of years of hard work, not just for the I Swear star but from the people around him who had always believed in him and his potential.

“He’s worked so hard for himself but also for the people who have supported him,” said Babych. “You would have seen his family on the TV last night when he won. I know his dad fairly well and know that he’s incredibly proud of his children and his family. He’s a big family man, and I could not be more delighted for him.”

Babych hopes that Aramayo’s win will inspire young performers from Hull to see a future for themselves in the arts, the same way he believes Aramayo himself was inspired by seeing people from the city on stage.

“The acting bonfire was first lit in him when he saw other Hull actors on stage here,” recalled Babych. “So I think for young people now, what Rob’s done gives them a great sense of inspiration really. He’s proven that if that’s your passion and that’s the path that you wish to pursue in your life, he’s shown that it can be done.”

Julie Peaks, the principal of Wyke sixth form college, said that Araymayo’s “success comes as no surprise” and that her school’s former student was always destined for great things beyond his home city.

“We all knew it was just a matter of time before the world recognised what we already knew: his extraordinary talent,” said Peaks. “Robert is a credit to his family, to Wyke and to the city of Hull. There’s more success to come – this is only the beginning.”