Former Coronation Street star Colson Smith said “it’s hard” as he opened up about his recent appearance on a popular game show — one of his first moves since leaving the soap in May.
After making his first appearance on Coronation Street back in 2011, Colson — who played Craig Tinker — quickly established himself as a fan favourite on the Cobbles, alongside his on-screen mum, Beth Tinker (played by Lisa George).
After nearly 14 years on the street, Colson’s final moments aired in May. In a series of nail-biting scenes, Corrie fans saw his time on the soap come to an end after a furious Mick Michaelis (played by Joe Layton) hit him over the head with a bat.
Taking to Instagram as he reflected on his near decade-and-a-half on the show, Colson wrote: “I’ve loved every single second of my 14-year stay as a resident on the greatest street in the world.”
He added: “I feel incredibly lucky to have grown up in, on, and around Coronation Street.”
In a recent edition of his On the Sofa podcast, with fellow Corrie stars Jack P. Shepherd and Ben Price, Colson shared that there had been “quite a big deal” made about his decision to go on Celebrity Mastermind.
He said: “There was quite a big deal about me going to do Mastermind, because Jack and Ben had both previously said no — you were too scared, weren’t you?”
Before sharing more details about his time on the show, Colson admitted it was “hard,” though he noted he had done better than expected, saying: “I’m proud to say that I did not disgrace myself.”
But Mastermind isn’t the only TV show Colson has appeared on since leaving Corrie. In another recent episode of his podcast, he confirmed that he’s set to appear on The Weakest Link.
He also told Jack and Ben that the producers of Pointless had approached him to see if he would like to take on the quiz show — although he revealed there may be a sticking point, as he would need to find a partner to join him.
Away from his recent TV appearances, Colson also hit the airwaves after announcing on Instagram in May that he would be joining BBC Radio Leeds this summer.
Coronation Street is set to return this evening on ITV (July 16) at 8 p.m.
