Coronation Street’s own Colson Smith is set to be written out of the acclaimed soap this summer, bringing his 14-year tenure as Craig Tinker to a close. An insider shared with us that the 26 year old actor was informed several months prior that his narrative as Weatherfield’s diligent police officer was drawing to a close.
The source divulged: “Colson was told last autumn about Craig being written out of the show, he will be on screen until early summer. He is hugely grateful to have had 14 years working on the show and is excited about what promises to be a brilliant exit storyline. He is very positive about what the future holds for the next part of his career.”
In a heartfelt confirmation to the Mirror, Colson acknowledged his exit, expressing his appreciation for his time spent in Coronation Street. “Autumn last year I was told that Craig Tinker’s time on the Cobbles is to come to an end in 2025. I’ve LOVED every single second of my 14 year stay as a resident on the greatest street in the world.”
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Having shed an incredible ten stone during and post-lockdown, Colson remains optimistic about his upcoming ventures. He added: “I feel incredibly lucky to have grown up in, on and around Coronation Street,” saying, “I’ve learnt pretty much everything about life from the people who call it home. I’m excited to play out the exit story for Our Craigy.”
Looking ahead, he considers the upcoming farewell as a new beginning rather than an end. “For me, this is the end of the beginning. I genuinely can’t wait to see what chapter two has in store for me,” reports the Mirror.
Displaying no ill feelings towards Coronation Street’s new Executive Producer Kate Brooks, Colson heartily declared: “Long live the cobbles!”
Brooks unveiled plans last month to wield the axe in 2025, with the warning: “There are a few exits this year, and some unexpected ones that will send shockwaves.”
Having joined the show at just 11 years old, Colson Smith has previously opened up about his struggles with eating habits and weight. In a candid chat with the Mirror in 2021, he said: “When everyone else was at uni, I’m sat on bloody Deliveroo every night. So I kind of had got myself into a really unhealthy position where food was a self-harm to me. It was my comfort and I didn’t realise how much damage I was doing to myself with it.”
Determined to turn his life around, Colson documented his slimming journey in the YouTube film ‘Bored of Being the Fat Kid’, highlighting how a life coach aided him in dropping from 22 stone down to around 12.
His recent TV appearances included stints on ITV’s reality series Celebrity Big Brother last spring and the network’s jungle-themed show I’m a Celebrity: Unpacked towards the end of the year. The actor’s exit marks another in a series of departures from the soap in recent times.
Craig’s on-screen mother, Beth Tinker, waved goodbye in the summer when Lisa George exited the series. Christmas marked the farewell of Helen Worth after an illustrious 50-year tenure as Gail Platt, and now, news has surfaced that Sue Cleaver, who’s inhabited the role of Eileen Grimshaw for over two decades, is set to depart as well.