Corrie’s Colson Smith admits he used to go running in DISGUISE as he was ’embarrassed’ over his size

Coronation Street star Colson Smith has admitted that he used to go running in disguise and only at night as he was too ’embarrassed’ over his size prior to his 10 stone weight loss.

In a candid Instagram post in which he shared a video of the first time he went running, the Craig Tinker actor, 22, showed how he used to cover up in a cap and a scarf covering his face. 

Colson told his fans how he wanted to ‘keep it real’ as he opened up about his struggles with body image prior to his impressive body transformation and reflected on how far he had come.

Before: The actor has since undergone an incredible body transformation (pictured in 2019)

Candid: Coronation Street star Colson Smith has admitted that he used to go running in disguise and only at night as he was too ’embarrassed’ over his size prior to his 10 stone weight loss (pictured left this month and right in 2019)

Alongside a short clip of himself jogging in January this year, he penned: ‘Earlier i posted my morning run, after I posted it I thought about how far I’d come in my running & my general life.

‘If I’d have seen that post on my feed back then I’d have hated it, it would have seemed impossible and a million miles away.

‘So I wanted to share this with you, (Just to keep it real).’

He went on: ‘This was 10th January 2020 when I laced up for the first time, I was embarrassed to be seen so I went out at witching hour in disguise. 

Desperate measures: In a candid Instagram post in which he shared a video of the first time he went running, the Craig Tinker actor, 22, showed how he used to cover up in a cap and a scarf covering his face

Desperate measures: In a candid Instagram post in which he shared a video of the first time he went running, the Craig Tinker actor, 22, showed how he used to cover up in a cap and a scarf covering his face

‘Everyone HAS to start somewhere. Try it, you really do deserve it.’

The TV star’s post was flooded with several positive comments from fans praising him for turning his life around.   

And in showing how much he’s improved his running, Colson had earlier revealed that he’d ran his personal best, covering three miles in just 18 mins. 

It comes after  Colson revealed that he was trolled over his ‘looks’ aged just 11 as he discussed his recent weight loss on This Morning in May.

Struggles: : 'This was 10th January 2020 when I laced up for the first time, I was embarrassed to be seen so I went out at witching hour in disguise

Struggles: : ‘This was 10th January 2020 when I laced up for the first time, I was embarrassed to be seen so I went out at witching hour in disguise

Good for you: Colson told his fans how he wanted to 'keep it real' as he opened up about his struggles with body image prior to his impressive body transformation and reflected on how far he had come (pictured in March)

Good for you: Colson told his fans how he wanted to ‘keep it real’ as he opened up about his struggles with body image prior to his impressive body transformation and reflected on how far he had come (pictured in March)

The actor, who plays lovable Craig Tinker on the cobbles, recently released a documentary called Bored Of Being The Fat Kid on his YouTube channel.

Colson has shed an impressive amount of weight and become a fitness enthusiast after ‘self-harming’ with food, saying he was fed up of always being ‘the fat kid’. 

Talking about the trolling he received before losing weight, the actor revealed that he first got vile comments when he was aged just 11-years-old and that he also experienced a ‘difficult’ time in school due to being the ‘odd one out’. 

Weight loss journey: Colson recently revealed that he was trolled over his 'looks' aged just 11 as he discussed his recent weight loss on This Morning

Weight loss journey: Colson recently revealed that he was trolled over his ‘looks’ aged just 11 as he discussed his recent weight loss on This Morning

Colson said: ‘At 11-years-old after my first episode I was quite excited. 

‘The first thing you do is search on Twitter to see what people are saying about you and your acting and they weren’t talking about my acting, they were talking about the way I look.

‘From a young age I’d had a difficult time in school because I was always the odd one out. From 11, being in the public eye, it came from there as well.’

Starting out: The actor, who plays lovable Craig Tinker on the cobbles, recently released a documentary called Bored Of Being The Fat Kid on his YouTube channel (pictured in 2011 still)

Starting out: The actor, who plays lovable Craig Tinker on the cobbles, recently released a documentary called Bored Of Being The Fat Kid on his YouTube channel (pictured in 2011 still) 

Transformed: Colson has shed an impressive amount of weight and become a fitness enthusiast after 'self-harming' with food, saying he was fed up of always being 'the fat kid' (pictured in 2018)

Svelte: The actor pictured on This Morning in May

Transformed: Colson has shed an impressive amount of weight and become a fitness enthusiast after ‘self-harming’ with food, saying he was fed up of always being ‘the fat kid’ (pictured, left, in 2018, and, right, in May)

Talking about trolling further, Colson added: ‘People say things about you that they don’t think you’ll necessarily see. 

‘As an actor and somebody who wants to perform, it comes down to it that in your job the acting comes for free and everything else comes with it. In a way it’s part and parcel of the job. It shouldn’t be, but it is.’ 

Colson revealed that he decided to lose weight at the end of 2019 after he assessed his relationship with food, asking Coronation Street boss Iain MacLeod if his weight loss could be incorporated into a storyline for his character Craig Tinker. 

The star admitted that lockdown could have been a ‘perfect excuse’ for him to put weight on but instead it forced him to ‘stop and refocus’.

Sad: Talking about the trolling he received before losing weight, the actor revealed that he first got vile comments when he was aged just 11-years-old and that he also experienced a 'difficult' time in school due to being the 'odd one out'

Sad: Talking about the trolling he received before losing weight, the actor revealed that he first got vile comments when he was aged just 11-years-old and that he also experienced a ‘difficult’ time in school due to being the ‘odd one out’ 

Colson said: ‘I spoke to Ian our boss and were talking about what’s next for Craig. I said I’d be up for losing weight if we can fit it in a story and they came back and said we would. 

‘I sat down at the end of 2019 and said: “I’m gonna make sure I can do this.” I’d always felt my role was to be the fat kid and I was 22, I’ve had the same job since I was 11 and I thought: “It’s time for a change.”

‘In March, the world changed and it was lockdown and that could have been the perfect excuse but for me, it was the perfect opportunity to stop and refocus. In that time in lockdown I learned a lot about myself.’

Colson said that he has realised how much ‘self-respect’ he has for himself after documenting his weight loss for his YouTube documentary, adding that he has gained confidence. 

Life decision: Colson revealed that he decided to lose weight at the end of 2019 after he assessed his relationship with food, asking Coronation Street boss Iain MacLeod if his weight loss could be incorporated into a storyline for his character Craig Tinker

Life decision: Colson revealed that he decided to lose weight at the end of 2019 after he assessed his relationship with food, asking Coronation Street boss Iain MacLeod if his weight loss could be incorporated into a storyline for his character Craig Tinker

He said: ‘It’s just been one of those things. It was tied in with work and then I realised it was more important for Colson than it was for Craig on Coronation Street. 

‘I just sat down and made little goals. It’s been an experience I’ve really enjoyed. I always thought that was me. 

‘When I was making the film I realised how much self-respect I had for myself, versus how much I have for myself now. It’s completely changed. In terms of my mental health, my ability and my confidence – it has changed a lot.

‘It’s something so simple like a little investment in yourself. I’m excited what’s next for Craig and how this will affect things. We saw him getting more confident…’

'Focus': The actor admitted that lockdown could have been a 'perfect excuse' for him to put weight on but instead it forced him to 'stop and refocus' (pictured in 2020)

‘Focus’: The actor admitted that lockdown could have been a ‘perfect excuse’ for him to put weight on but instead it forced him to ‘stop and refocus’ (pictured in 2020)  

It comes after Colson described his relationship with food as ‘self harm’ after soaring to soap stardom at the tender age of 11.

The 22-year-old opened up about being branded ‘the fat kid’ as a child star in a candid interview over the weekend. 

He told The Sun: ‘At 11 years old I had a Twitter account. You log in, you search your name, you search ‘Craig Corrie’ and you’re looking to see what people are saying about your character or your acting, and all they’re saying is about your weight and the way you look.

‘I was being branded as just the fat kid from day one. Even at school I was always the fat kid, I was always the odd one out.’

He grew up on the stalwart ITV soap and, at age 17, moved into his own place in Manchester, away from his family. It was this point he let his relationship with food get the better of him, he revealed. 

‘I’m sat on Deliveroo every night. I got myself into a really unhealthy position. Food was a self harm to me like that, it was my comfort, and I didn’t realise how much damage I was doing to myself with it,’ he added.

Colson said that his relationship with food was ‘very bad’ and that it was ‘bingey’ and ‘probably a disorder’.  

Goals: Colson hopes to demonstrate that losing weight is important to self-worth, rather than figures on a scale or aesthetics

Goals: Colson hopes to demonstrate that losing weight is important to self-worth, rather than figures on a scale or aesthetics