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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Jessica Sansome

ITV Coronation Street's Colson Smith admits to soap wardrobe struggle before epic weight loss

Coronation Street star Colson Smith has revealed the truth behind his first scenes on the ITV soap during an appearance on This Morning. The actor, who plays Craig Tinker, appeared on the daytime sow alongside co-star Jack P Shepherd as the pair chatted about their podcast.

Away from the cobbles, Colson, Jack and Corrie's Nick Tilsley actor Ben Price host their own podcast, the Sofa Cinema Club, which they first launched in 2018 It hears, and sees, the trio set aside an evening to settle down on the sofa and watch a movie. After each movie night, the soap stars swap their sofas for the studio to discuss what they loved, hated and rated about the films.

And Jack, Colson, and Ben recently revealed they're taking their podcast to the stage once more following their sold-out live show last year. But while on This Morning, hosts Phillip Schofield and Rochelle Humes couldn't not ask the pair about Corrie and before speaking to the pair live on the show's famous sofa, they played a brief clip of the pairs time on the soap.

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Colson has played now-Weatherfield cop Craig in Corrie since 2011 but his completely unrecognisable now, especially since he started his weight loss journey a few years ago. And after seeing the clips of his debut alongside Lisa George, who plays mum Beth Sutherland, the 24-year-old admitted he'd had a bit of an issue in the wardrobe department on his first day.

After the cameras cut back to the ITV sofa, Phillip said with a laigh: "The things you learn when you play something like that," before adding: "What did you just say?" Colson then confessed: "In my audition, I couldn't chew chewing gum. I never knew how and I didn't know how to blow a bubble so I spent hours [practicing]."

He then revealed: "The jogger bottoms that I wore in that scene are the jogger bottoms I wore to work that day because when I got there, nothing else fit and they were like, 'They're fine! Wear them.'" Colson shocked fans when he revealed his epic 10 stone weight loss for the first time in 2020. Colson completely overhauled his lifestyle and documented his journey in his own YouTube film, Bored Of Being the Fat Kid.

Colson with Lisa George in his first scene in Corrie (ITV)

Jack, meanwhile, who is famed for playing David Platt, was told by Phillip after seeing the clips: "You were very young though." To which the soap star replied: "Yeah but only the other day though, I've been in the show 23 years now and the other day, I'm in work and I'm walking down the corridor and Bill Roache came in - Ken Barlow - and he's coming in with his little leather bag and I went, 'Hi Bill, you alright?'

"And he went, 'Morning David!'" As Phillip and Rochelle Humes laughed, Jack hilarious dissolved into his seat to show how he felt about being called by his character's name by the soap legend. "23 years he's known me for," the 35-year-old jokingly fumed. "23 years and he went 'David' and I thought, 'really? Is that where we are?'"

Jack and Colson on This Morning (ITV)

He added: "I'm not going to correct him, am I?" Rochelle then replied: "It's a hard thing to get your head [around]. Obviously you know him personally..." but before she could finish her sentence Jack chipped in in faux outrage: "Well I thought I did! I'm not going to say, 'It's Jack!' That's going to destroy his brain."

But it appears Colson had a better anecdote as he turned round live on the ITV daytime show to his co-star and placed his hand on his shoulder before saying: "If it makes you feel any better, he calls me Colin." They then all burst out laughing as Colson, who plays Craig Tinker in the ITV soap, clarified: "Since day one!"

"No he doesn't!" Rochelle replied as Colson echoed Jack comments and said: "I can't say, 'Bill, it's Colson.'" As Jack added: "What are you going to say?"

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