Coronation Street's Colson Smith had 'shock' call from co-star over exit as 'nickname' uncovered

Coronation Street star Colson Smith has revealed his 'shock' as he detailed a phone call from one of his co-stars after his exit was revealed.

Fans of the ITV soap will now know that the actor confirmed earlier this month that he'll be bowing out of the popular programme soon as Craig Tinker. Colson has grown up alongside his character on-screen, having first appeared in Weatherfield as the son of Beth Tinker, played by Lisa George, as a youngster back in 2011.

However, Colson confirmed on January 6 that as he prepares to mark 14 years in Weatherfield this summer, his time as his policing alter-ego is coming to an end and has since spoken at length about the decision, which was made by new producer Kate Brooks, as they felt his character reached the end of the road.

In the social media post, shared to X and Instagram alongside a picture of himself portraying Craig as a police officer, which confirmed the news, Colson said: "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. 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 just the end of the beginning. I genuinely can’t wait to see what chapter 2 has in store for me. LONG LIVE THE COBBLES!"

Colson later spoke at length about how he was told about Craig's departure from Weatherfield and the events that followed with his co-stars Jack P Shepherd and Ben Price on the podcast they host, On the Sofa.

Now, in a new episode, Colson has revealed that he got an unexpected phone call from Corrie legend Barbara Knox with the Rita Tanner actress wanting to show him her support.

Speaking on the podcast, Colson said: "When everyone found out I was leaving, there was one conversation I was really surprised by, which was a phone call from a withheld number..." As Jack said: "Ken?" Colson replied: "It wasn't Ken [Barlow, played by William Roache]..." Ben said: "Rita," to which Colson confirmed: "Yeah, Barbara Knox."

Ben asked if she was sad to see him go to which Colson replied: "Yeah, I was taken aback quite a bit and she said, 'People come and go all the time and there's some people who are there who love the show," and she said, 'You're one of those people and I just want to say thank you for all the time that I've spent with you and the way that you treat me."

He added: "I was like, I appreciate this phone call a lot and then she basically said good luck and I really hope that something comes for you. And she told me to keep in touch 'through the little one'." Jack seemed confused before asking: "Is that me?" to which Colson confirmed: "Yes!" which made Jack shake his had with a sly smile as his pals laughed.