Ryan Thomas is reportedly set to make a huge return to Coronation Street nine years after quitting and retiring from acting.
The star, who portrayed Jason Grimshaw in the hit ITV soap from 2000 until 2016, has agreed to make a limited return to allow his on-screen mum Sue Cleaver a perfect send off to character Eileen.
Ryan, who is married to Lucy Mecklenburgh, is set to start filming later this month to make sure Sue gets a ‘special’ send off.
A source told The Sun: ‘It was a no brainer for Ryan to return when he was asked – it’s all for Sue.
‘She’s like a second mum to him and he was willing to do anything to make her send off as special as she deserves it to be.
‘He’s not acted for a while so it’s a bit daunting but he played Jason for so long that he’s looking forward to going back to the cobbles.’
Ryan Thomas is set to make a huge return to Coronation Street nine years after quitting and retiring from acting
The star has agreed to make a limited return to allow his on-screen mum Sue Cleaver a perfect send off to character Eileen (Adam and Sue pictured in 2016
Ryan’s character Jason was last seen on the cobbles in 2016 but has been mentioned over the years regarding his life in Thailand.
After leaving the hit soap, the actor made appearances in Neighbours and won Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.
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Last year Ryan took part in ITV’s Dancing on Ice and was crowned champion.
Acting runs in Ryan’s family as his daughter Scarlett stars in the news series of Waterloo Road alongside his brother Adam, who has also starred in Emmerdale.
Meanwhile Ryan’s second brother Scott, found fame on series two of Love Island and more recently appeared on All Stars in South Africa before quitting the show early.
Ryan revealed in 2021 that he had quit acting after a slew of failed auditions and being trolled for his Neighbours stint.
The TV star admitted he ‘lost the bug’ for performing after struggling to land roles, just days after revealing he’d been working as a delivery driver for his brother Adam’s restaurant.
Ryan added that he found it ‘really hard’ being criticised for his performances and has no intention to act again, instead focusing on other TV projects with his brothers Scott and Adam.
Adam portrayed Jason Grimshaw in the hit ITV soap from 2000 until 2016
A source said: ‘It was a no brainer for Ryan to return when he was asked – it’s all for Sue.’She’s like a second mum to him and he was willing to do anything to make her send off as special as she deserves it to be’
They added: ‘He’s not acted for a while so it’s a bit daunting but he played Jason for so long that he’s looking forward to going back to the cobbles’, pictured with Sue in 2024
Speaking on the siblings’ Mancs On The Mic podcast, Ryan said: ‘It’s so hard for me. I started off acting, I started off in that game and I really lost the bug for it.
‘I feel the reason for losing the bug is rejection and going to auditions and not getting them.’
Ryan added that he struggled with the criticism from Australian viewers when he appeared on Neighbours in 2018 as Rafael Humphreys.
He said: ‘I went over to do Neighbours and I just saw on social media that there were just quite negative comments towards me and my acting.
‘I’ve never had that before because social media wasn’t around. I never got it in Corrie because I never had social media when I was in Corrie.
‘If I did, it was at the end but I was so established there that people saw me as fixtures and fittings, so I never really got that sort of negative criticism.
‘It happens in all aspects but I just found it really really hard to deal with at first.
‘I always think, ‘Oh, it’ll [the desire to act] come back at some point and maybe it will and it’s still something that I have in my locker if I want to explore it again. Right now I’m really happy with the direction I’m going.’
