Coronation Street star Colson Smith has been on quite the weight loss journey over this past year, and his new documentary is set to shed some light on it all.
Smith – a regular on Manchester’s most famous cobbles since 2011 playing Craig Tinker – has regularly shared updates of 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.
While he largely chose to keep to himself, has made the decision not to share the amount of weight lost, and wanted to hide his progress from the public, now 18-months down the line, the 22-year-old actor is set to release a documentary on his journey.
‘Bored Of Being The Fat Kid’ will be released in full on Colson’s YouTube channel next Wednesday 2nd June.
Colson shared a teaser post for the documentary on Instagram this morning.
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The documentary will see him tell the story of his weight loss journey in his own words, but instead of focusing on a number on the scale or the amount he has lost, it will give a real look into his thoughts and feelings as he found his love of running and went from “the 10-year-old being best mates with the dinner lady so he got more food to being the 22-year-old who is now putting himself first and wants to get the most out of his life.”
Colson said he grew up being “the fat kid”.
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He told a selection of the media that being called the “fat kid” was something he experienced within all walks of life, and that it was “kind of the identity I ended up with”.
After joining the soap in August 2011 when he was just 11-years-old, Colson found himself seeing comments about his weight online, adding: “You search your name [and] you search ‘Craig Corrie’ to see what people are saying about your character, your acting and all they’re saying is about your weight and the way you look.
“I was exposed to just being branded the fat kid, the this, the that from day one”.
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Instagram – @colsonjsmith
It wasn’t until Colson turned 21 that he realised he wanted to “mix it up” and change the identity he had lived with for much of his life.
He decided to live his life with “no regrets”.
The documentary will also touch upon the “difficult” challenge he faced with people congratulating him on his weight loss, adding: “When people started to realise and I started to get the attention and be congratulated, I found that difficult because I was being congratulated for not looking the way I looked”.
Colson admits that we should “expect nothing” from the documentary after originally setting out to just film it for himself as a way of looking back on his progress, but it becomes clear to audiences that he his transformation is not just physical, but also mental – and one worth sharing.
“I go from this kid who clearly doesn’t like himself, to growing in confidence”, Colson adds.
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“I learned who Colson is. I’ve learnt to like myself, to trust myself, to believe in myself and I now enjoy life.”
You can watch the trailer for the documentary here.
‘Bored Of Being The Fat Kid’ will be released in full on Colson’s YouTube channel next Wednesday 2nd June.
On his first night back on the live circuit last Friday, Peter had barely said a word before the entire audience took to its feet to give him a rousing standing ovation.
The huge crowd was then heard chanting ‘Peter, Peter, Peter’.
Despite a ban on filming in the venue, several people managed to share a snippet of the heartwarming moment, which left the comic wiping away tears.
Peter, who has been largely out of the public eye for around 12 years, took a moment to compose himself, leaning over against a stool.
He then said: “Oh Jesus look at me, I mean what’s that all about… how am I supposed to do bloody comedy now?
“I can’t believe I cried, where did it come from, all that emotion?”
On Twitter, someone wrote: “peter kay came out on stage and everyone gave him a standing ovation for about 5 minutes and he cried and i actually can’t cope.”
peter kay came out on stage and everyone gave him a standing ovation for about 5 minutes and he cried and i actually can’t cope
Another wrote: “What an absolute privilege to be there for Peter Kay’s return to the big stage. He got a standing ovation for his entrance and was reduced to tears, never seen anything like it. No spoilers, just a superb night.”
Someone else said: “I was expecting a huge standing ovation for Peter Kay’s return, but that was just mega. I felt so privileged to be there tonight. I’ve waited to see him live for so long. If you recorded anything, please don’t be a d*ck sharing it and ruining it for everyone else.”
One person tweeted: “What a beautiful moment yesterday. Peter Kay in tears after such a rapturous reception.”
Featured image: TikTok, @hannah5290_
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Stone Roses bassist Mani raises over £100k for The Christie and local NHS charities
Emily Sergeant
Stone Roses bassist Mani and his wife Imelda have raised over £100,000 for two cancer charities close to their hearts.
After Imelda Mounfield – who is the wife of Stone Roses bassist Gary ‘Mani’ – was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer back in November 2020, the couple not only set out to raise awareness of the devastating disease, but also raise as much money as possible for local cancer charities through an online auction featuring some impressive prizes.
The auction was launched at a fundraising event held at Kimpton Clocktower Ballroom on Friday 18 November, and saw the couples’ friends from the world of music, sport, and entertainment donate an incredible array of exclusive items.
Some auction highlights included Noel Gallagher’s framed and signed set of six platinum discs for the album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, which went for an impressive £8,000, while guitars donated by Damon Albarn, Arctic Monkeys, Primal Scream, Foo Fighters, Peter Hook, and The Who were also all up for sale.
The highest bid went to John Squire’s Jackson Pollock-inspired painted and signed Hofner guitar 3/3 for a whopping £16,800.
Stone Roses bassist Mani raises over £100k for The Christie and local NHS charities / Credit: Imelda & Mani Fund
Liam Gallagher’s 2022 NME award for ‘Music Moment of the Year’ sold for £4,100, and David Beckham’s signed boots he wore for the last match of his career on 18 May 2013 were sold for £6,800.
All together, over £80,000 was raised from the auction, as well as £24,000 raised on the night of the fundraising event itself – which means that just over £100,000 has now been donated to The Christie Charity andStockport NHS Charity.
Imelda explained that funds were donated to these two charities as they “supported me through my journey.
“Cancer affects not just the person who has it, but everyone around them,” she explained, “I hope that by investing in some more research, we can help alleviate some of the devastation caused to families by cancer.”
Both charities say they are “really touched” and “hugely grateful” for the contributions.
Imelda & Mani would like to thank everyone who attended the fundraiser on Friday night.
We're delighted to have donated £10k each to both of our charities @christiecharity & @stockportnhscharity
“We’re really touched that Imelda’s experiences as a patient have spurred her and Mani into action for our charity,” said Louise Stimson – Head of Fundraising at The Christie Charity.
While Karen James OBE – Chief Executive for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust – added: “We’re hugely grateful to Imelda and Mani’s efforts in organising the fundraising event and auction [and] we’re proud of the care Imelda and many others with cancer have received at Stepping Hill Hospital.
“This fundraiser for our charity is a really touching display of her thanks, which will help us go on to support more patients in the future.”
Sadly, Imelda’s cancer has spread to her liver and a small nodule in her lung, so she underwent emergency life-saving bowel surgery as it perforated, and after months of treatments, she had the right side of her liver removed.
Imelda is now currently waiting for the next stage of treatment.
Emily Sergeant -
24th May 2021 
