Coronation Street star says he may need to wear ‘fat suit’ on set following lockdown weight loss

Craig Colson has appeared on soap since 2011

Coronation Street star Colson Smith joked that he might have to wear a ‘fat suit’ when filming resumes after losing “almost 10 stone” in lockdown.

The 21-year-old actor, who has played Craig Tinker on the long-running soap since 2011, said on his podcast Sofa Cinema Club that between his weight loss and dying his hair blonde, he would be virtually unrecognisable when the show returned.

“We are in direct continuity, but I’ve almost lost about 10 stone since we left work so I’m not sure that [my hair] is going to be the biggest of their issues,” he joked, adding: “I might be wearing a wig and a fat suit when we go back.”

Smith had previously admitted on Lorraine that his character was due to undergo a similar transformation, saying: “When you go up and suggest a storyline where your character has a bit of a transformation, the one thing in the back of my head is, ‘Oh, I’ve got to do that as well.’

“So while we’re not seeing the street at the moment, I’ve kind of kept Craig Tinker’s fitness journey on behind closed doors, so when we’re back we’re ready to see what Craig’s been up to.”

The ITV programme is due to resume filming on 9 June, 10 weeks after the coronavirus pandemic forced production to come to a halt.

Announcing the news, Coronation Street’s showrunners revealed their plans to film three episodes each week in order to keep the show going over the summer, but that older or more vulnerable cast members would not initially return to set.

The show plans on picking up where it left off before filming was suspended, with producer Iain MacLeod previously revealing the Covid-19 crisis would be addressed in the show’s storyline.