Coronation Street star Colson Smith has defended his on-screen character after he was slammed by viewers of the ITV soap. The usually loveable Craig Tinker was branded a 'monster' as he tried to blackmail his fiancee after discovering that she had kissed her ex after he returned to the cobbles with their child.
Back in March, Jackson Hodge tried to contact Faye after he and their daughter, Miley, moved back from Canada after a number of years away. Faye and Jackson conceived their child after the two teens slept together at a party with Miley then born in 2015.
Faye was clearly unnerved by Jackon and Miley's return and claimed she didn't want anything to do with them but when her dad, Tim Metcalfe, met with his granddaughter behind Faye's back, and she found out, Faye decided she too wanted to be back in Miley's life.
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She has since, however, been struggling with her feelings after Jackson kissed her before Craig got down on one knee and popped the question. During Friday night's Corrie (May 19), Faye's brother Gary Windass was seen luring Faye and Jackson to the furniture shop and urged them to talk.
Jackson told Faye that by choosing Craig over him, she’s making the biggest mistake of her life. Meanwhile, Craig arrived at the bistro for a surprise party to celebrate his secondment to CID and is taken aback to find all his family and friends there. But noting that both Faye and Jackson are missing, Craig calls Faye’s phone.
When he hears it ringing in the furniture shop, he heads over. Hearing Craig approach, Faye orders Jackson to hide under a desk as Craig entered the shop. But after Craig’s mum Beth Sutherland admitted she had caught Faye with Jackson weeks ago, Craig was heartbroken.
Breaking down in tears, Craig shouted at a surprised Faye: "How could you do this to me after all I did to protect you? You know very well, what I did. You could've gone to prison with all that means for an ex-copper, and I still took that chance. All to keep you safe. Because I love you that much. And you go and snog your ex at the first chance you get. How stupid am I?"
He was referring to the fact that he covered for her and her pal Emma Brooker after he discovered they had been involved in a car accident with the elderly gentleman they knocked over later found dead at home. Craig continued: "I feel like going down to the station right now and telling them everything.
"And yeah, I'd go down as well but what does it matter because if you go off with him, my life's already over." And Corrie viewers were 'disgusted' by Craig's actions, with one branding the cop a "monster".
But Colson, who has played Craig on-screen for 12 years, appears to have defended his character. Sharing an almost unrecognisable throwback snap of himself as Craig, the actor wrote on his Instagram Story: "As TINKS shows a slightly more evil side tonight it's always good to remember he's a big softie really..."
But the 24-year-old then added: "Or is he!" The criticism of Craig also comes as fans believe to have spotted his - and Colson's lookalike - after the soap star spent some time growing a bear. Responding to a post on Corrie's social media, @danielknowles92 said: "Who's that Max Branning?"
@lisa_kimberley86 replied: "I thought the same!!!" @sharmaine_e_a posted: "Max branning?!" @wendy_roden wrote: "Why is max branning in Corrie." @victoria.thomas88 shared: "Is that max branning from eastenders?" @gardneremma84 commented back: "Omg. I thought this as well." @empresssweetz added: "I was thinking the same thing I was like I didn’t know he had joined Corrie."
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