Coronation Street star Colson Smith has been on quite the weight loss journey this year and he puts a big part of his transformation down to the “proper food” Manchester-based meal delivery service Fit Chef provides him.
Smith – a regular on Manchester’s most famous cobbles since 2011 playing Craig Tinker – has been regularly sharing updates from his fitness journey on social media since the start of 2020 and most notably received an outpouring of support from stunned fans after taking to Instagram to share a post-run picture back in May.
The soap star made his return to screens for the first time since filming suspended during the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown on Friday’s episode, and for his brief scene, Smith was seen looking much slimmer as his character with some even said that he looked “unrecognisable”.
This is all thanks to Fit Chef, a popular, healthy subscription meal service for busy people who love to eat but don’t have the time to cook. The meal prep business helped Colson drop the pounds for both his on-screen, and off-screen transformations, by providing him with restaurant quality food straight to his door every week.
Colson recently revealed his weight loss at the start of the UK coronavirus lockdown.
Speaking on his podcast Sofa Cinema Club – which he co-hosts with fellow Corrie actors Jack P Shepherd and Ben Price – about his weight loss journey particularly in conjunction with returning to film for Coronation Street, Colson said: “We are in direct continuity, but I’ve almost lost about ten stone since we left work,”
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“I might be wearing a wig and a fat suit when we go back,” he joked.
As well as attributing running, rowing and weight lifting to being fundamental parts of his transformation, and also calling No 1 Bootcamp – a fitness, weight loss and wellness retreat in Norfolk – his “second home” back in February, Colson has put a large part of his weight loss down to the “proper food” he’s been tucking into from Fit Chef.
The Manchester-based company is run by chefs Will Lee and Matt Williams – two professional cooks who knew meal prep was “top of the list” for Colson at the start of his fitness journey.
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Speaking to The Manc, Colson said: “At the start of the year, I sat down to plan out how I was going to make everything as easy as possible for myself [and] top of the list was meal prep.”
“I knew I wanted to keep normality in my food rather than your standard ‘Chicken, Rice & Peas’, so as soon as I saw FitChef’s menu, it just made sense.”
“Sweet Potato Hash for breakfast and Lamb Hot Pot for lunch? Yes please.”
He continued: “The first time I ever met Will & Matt, the brains behind Fitchef, we [just] clicked. They knew exactly what I was after.”
“It’s like eating from a restaurant every day, just with that hint of home love too”.
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Fit Chef UK
“Whenever people have spoken to me and asked what I’ve been eating, their normal reaction is a state of shock, but I guess that’s what Fit Chef stands for – it’s lifestyle thing,” he continued.
“Proper food, proper results.”
Colson regularly shares updates on his fitness journey via his Instagram.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have taken its toll on industries of all shapes and sizes over these past few months, but supporting local/independent business has never been more important than it is right now.
The Manc is #BuzzingToBeBack – find out more about eats in Manchester here.
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Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Featured Image – Altitude
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Bury actress Kate O’Flynn wins big at 2026 Emmys with record-breaking comedy show
Emily Sergeant
Did you know that one of the big winners at the 2026 Emmy Awards last night was actually an actress from Bury?
In case it wasn’t on your radar, American television‘s biggest night, the Emmys, took place yesterday evening over in Los Angeles, and several records were broken in the process – including Apple TV’s comedy horror Widow’s Bay taking home the most Emmys ever for a single series of a comedy show, with 14 of them.
Widow’s Bay tells the story of mayor Tom Loftis, played by Welsh actor Matthew Rhys, who is trying to boost tourism on his rugged New England island, but must navigate several strange events that suggest it might be cursed.
Created by Katie Dippold, and executive produced and directed by Hiro Murai, Widow’s Bay was released in late April to widespread critical acclaim.
At the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards last night, the show scooped a record 14 awards, including for Outstanding Comedy Series, several acting wins, and wins for directing and writing too.
One of those acting wins was Kate O’Flynn for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – an actress who hails from the Greater Manchester town of Bury.
Kate stars as Patricia Moyer, mayor Tom’s eccentric assistant in the show.
She grew up in Holcombe Brook near Ramsbottom, and was educated at Bury Grammar School, before she went on to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Acting in 2006.
Taking to the stage to accept her award last night, Kate said in her speech: “I want to thank our mayor [Matthew Rhys] and all the residents of Widow’s Bay, in front and behind the camera – you’re amazing. This is the role of a lifetime, thank you Katie and Hiro for trusting a Lancashire lass to play a sassy broad like Patricia. And thank you Apple [TV] for saying yes.
“Thank you Nicky and Tony for looking after me, my family back home, my mum and dad, and the loves of my life, my husband and our darling daughter – another sassy broad in the making.
Emily Sergeant -
10th August 2020 
