Corrie actor Colson Smith: 'I've been trolled over my weight for 10 years'

"When I'm sad I run, when I'm happy I run, if I'm anxious I run."

"I'm completely alone and isolated but I'm looking after myself when I'm running."

That's Colson Smith talking about his love of exercise, something he discovered during the coronavirus pandemic.

You might know him as Craig Tinker from Coronation Street.

Or, if you've seen some of the abuse he's faced online, then maybe you know him as "the fat kid from Corrie".

Colson first saw those kinds of comments a decade ago. He had gone online to gauge people's reactions when he first joined the soap.

"I wanted to learn about my character, about my acting, and see if they liked it," the now 22-year-old tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.

"But the comments I saw, and the comments which stuck with me, were about the way I look.

"That was something that I've had every single day of my life for the past 10 years and I will continue to have throughout my career."

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He says he has been supported during his time on Coronation Street by others in the cast and by ITV staff.

But during lockdown, Colson started to exercise and to lose weight.

He's sharing his journey in a new documentary, Bored of Being The Fat Kid.

He never expected to even share the footage.

"I wanted to make a doc but all I wanted to do is make it so that I can help me get out of my head that I'm not fat anymore," he says.

"I said it's probably just going to be me that watches it, maybe with my mum."

'It wasn't for the tabloids to tell'

Tabloid coverage of Colson's change in body shape made him feel like he was losing "control" of his own story.

"The story was just being told by various red-top outlets, and it wasn't their story to tell.

"It's just the headlines and clickbait, but what's different about weight loss to everything else is it's visible - so people can see it."

Colson's been sharing his fitness and running journey on Instagram, and now describes himself as a "complete running geek" - even though he admits he could barely run when he first started out.

But despite making his journey public, on social media and his documentary, Colson doesn't want anyone to think of him as a fitness influencer.

"I don't want to be that guy off telly who lost weight, who tells everybody how to do it," he says.

"I see myself as a fat kid who has tried to change their life and has found that if you do it for yourself, when you put yourself first and find something you enjoy - like I have with running - it's a darn sight easier for yourself."

'Next level' of support

He says he'd be happy if his experience can help "just one other person" who watches his doc or has followed his journey.

And he hopes people who know someone trying to lose weight, and improve their body confidence like he has, is able to offer support to that person.

But he wants people to offer more than just compliments on weight loss.

"I found it quite difficult, because I felt like I was being rewarded for not looking the way I looked."

"No-one ever says it when you put weight on but when you're losing it, it's always said to you."

He says that anyone who wants to do the same as him needs to be "incredibly selfish" about their goals, because it's important that they lose weight "for themselves."

"Be supportive, do congratulate someone, do talk to them about it, but follow up the conversation," he adds.

"Rather than saying: 'You look loads better,' ask: 'How you feeling? How you finding it? Are you still going strong?'

"Be that next level of support."

Bored of Being the Fat Kid will be released on YouTube on 2 June 2021.

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