Coronation Street’s Craig Tinker actor Colson Smith has spoken out over his character’s brutal death for the first time, as his final scenes aired on the ITV soap

Craig Tinker’s brutal death on Coronation Street left viewers sobbing on Wednesday night, and now actor Colson Smith has shared his reaction to the murder of the character.

The police officer died in brutal scenes on the ITV soap after a vicious attack at the hands of villain Mick Michaelis in the previous episode. Mick beat innocent Craig with a bat, before leaving him for dead.

After Craig was rushed to hospital in a bad way during Wednesday’s tense episode of the soap, his loved ones hoped he would survive his horrific injuries, with him suffering swelling on the brain after the violent beating.

But sadly Craig lost his life leaving everyone devastated. Now actor Colson has broken his silence on the devastating death of Craig, who had been on the show for more than a decade.

He addressed the decision by bosses to write him and his character out, revealing how he found out for the first time. He also shared his initial reaction to learning that his character would die in devastating scenes.

Colson told The Mirror and other press: “When I was in the chat with Kate [Brooks] I’d already braced myself for what was about to happen. I have been in that building since I was 12 years old, so I know exactly how it works.

“I knew that my time was up and I knew that Craig had backed himself into a corner that was going to be really hard to get out of, so I fully expected the chat to go that way. There had been about 20 minutes of Kate talking to me, but we hadn’t touched on when or how, or who or what.

“So I kind of stopped Kate and said, ‘Look, I have two questions, and one is when, and two is do I get killed?’. And she kind of like, stopped and stumbled a little bit. And I said, if it makes it easier for you, the right answer for me is yes.

“Like for me to go, I would want to leave. I would want to die, I would want the door to be shut, so then I can kind of know in my head that Corrie has been this, Corrie has done that, and it is now done, and Craig’s journey is over.”

Colson went on: “It was the right thing for me to be killed. I think Craig dying, and Craig dying in the line of duty as a copper, that kind of hero’s death was by far the most perfect story for the exit.”

The actor learned of his character’s fate and the fact he would be leaving the show back in October last year. On the “most difficult” time for him after the revelation, he shared: “I think from that night at the end of October, it was that night where any emotion that I had, or any feelings that I had, that was kind of when it played out and that was the most difficult bit.

“The most difficult bit is going back to work and working through the thing, the rest of the building finding out and seeing other people’s emotion and understanding of things, that’s the toughest bit.

The police officer died in brutal scenes on the ITV soap after a vicious attack (Image: ITV/Coronation Street)

“Do I feel like a part of me has died? I feel like I will miss Corrie, I miss going to work, I miss having a job, and I feel like I’m accepting of nothing will ever replace that. I can do anything in the rest of my career, the rest of my life, and I’m fully aware that I will never get what I have got from Coronation Street from anywhere else.”

Colson revealed Corrie had “been his life” with him grateful for the past 14 years on the ITV soap. He said: “I think it’s probably been my life you know, I started as an 11 year old, and it pretty much is all I remember. I remember getting the job and I don’t remember much about before.

“This show has – I said it in my leaving speech – like everything I have done, achieved, I’ve done whilst in that building. My best days, my worst days, all my first moments have been whilst being part of Coronation Street, and that is the thing that I will forever be grateful for. I wouldn’t even say it’s changed my life, I would say it’s been my life, and my life is what it is because I played Craig Tinker in Coronation Street.”

Viewers were heartbroken over the brutal scenes and the loss of Craig, taking to X with their reactions. One fan said: “How can I know Craig’s dying but I’m sobbing anyway?” as another said: “I literally can not stop crying that was the saddest episode.” A third fan commented: “Incredibly sad,” as a further comment read: “So sad, my heart can’t take it.”