A major Coronation Street star has confirmed they are leaving the cobbled streets this summer after 14 years on the soap.

Colson Smith, who plays police officer Craig Tinker, revealed exclusively to MailOnline that he was told in Autumn 2024 that he would be written out of the show.

An inside source also explained that Colson is excited for the next chapter of his career and said viewers should look forward to a ‘brilliant exit storyline’.

Reflecting on his on the show, Colson confessed that he has loved ‘every single second’ of his time on the show and feels ‘incredibly lucky’ to have been a part of the show for so long.

Colson told MailOnline: ‘Autumn last year I was told that Craig Tinker’s time on the Cobbles is to come to end in 2025.

‘I’ve loved every single second of my 14 year stay as a resident on the greatest street in the world. I feel incredibly lucky to have grown up in, on and around Coronation Street.

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A major Coronation Street star has confirmed they are leaving the cobbled streets this summer after 14 years on the soap

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Colson Smith, who plays police officer Craig Tinker, revealed exclusively to MailOnline that he was told in Autumn 2024 that he would be written out of the show

‘I’ve learned pretty much everything about life from the people who call it home. I’m excited to play out the exit story for our Craigy. For me, this is the end of the beginning.

‘I genuinely can’t wait to see what chapter two has in store for me.’

Colson has had a huge transformation over his 14 years on the show, as he looks almost unrecognisable from when he first set foot on the set.

Over the last few years, Colson has undergone an incredible weight loss journey, which saw him deal with some hard habits.

In 2021, he revealed to The Mirror that he used to ‘self-harm’ with food and ‘didn’t see how much damage’ he was inflicting on himself.

He told the publication: ‘My routine (before) was very difficult as I kind of left my parents at 17 to live in Manchester, which was away from home.

‘And 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.’

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An inside source also explained that Colson is excited for the next chapter of his career and said viewers should look forward to a ‘brilliant exit storyline’

But at the end of 2019, Colson decided he wanted to ‘look after’ himself after years of feeling like ‘the odd one out’.

Showing his dedication to his transformation and the show, he approached Coronation Street boss Iain MacLeod to ask if his weight loss could be weaved into his character’s storyline.

Although the star admitted lockdown could have been the ‘perfect excuse’ to pile the weight on, he said it had the opposite effect – forcing him to ‘stop and refocus’.

Colson changed his food and started going to the gym and running.