Coronation Street star Colson Smith is reportedly set to be killed off after being axed by soap bosses last year.

The actor, who has played Craig Tinker on the ITV soap since 2011, was told by bosses last autumn that he was being written out of the show.

Now, sources are claiming that Colson’s character will meet his maker in dramatic scenes this summer, after bosses made the ‘tough decision’ to kill him off.

A source told The Sun: ‘Craig has grown up on the street and he’s become part of it so it was a tough decision to make but one that will be worth it.

‘PC Tinker will meet his maker in heroic circumstances this summer and there won’t be a dry eye in the house when it goes out.

‘Colson is taking it well and there’s a real feeling that this chapter is closing for him and there are bigger and brighter things ahead.’

Coronation Street star Colson Smith is reportedly set to be killed off after being axed by soap bosses last year (pictured in character as Craig Tinker)

It’s thought that Colson will film his final Corrie scenes later this month, before bidding farewell to the soap for good.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Coronation Street for comment.

In January, Colson spoke for the first time about bosses’ decision to axe him from Coronation Street.  

Speaking to his listeners of On The Sofa With Colson, Jack, And Ben podcast, he admitted that he has known he was due to leave the show since the end of October and has kept it a secret for three months.

Recalling how he found out, he explained: ‘As an actor, especially on a soap, we’re all on year-long contracts so you always know when your renewal time is coming up.

‘I’d had a couple of chats with you two where I said I wasn’t feeling too confident about this renewal period.

‘I just had a feeling that the tide had slightly changed for Craig and had changed for the character, so I said I had a feeling.’

He continued: ‘And then I remember I got a phone call on a Monday night from the bosses PA saying can you have a meeting tomorrow night at 7pm. The first thing I did was I rang Ben and I said it is happening and it’s happening tomorrow night.’

The actor, (pictured) who has played Craig Tinker on the ITV soap since 2011, was told by bosses last autumn that he was being written out of the show

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Jack and Ben waited in the waiting room while Colson had the chat, ‘pacing up and down,’ as they waited to hear his fate.

Colson revealed that when he stepped into the meeting room, producer Kate Brooks said it was going to be a ‘really hard conversation’.

Speaking to his colleagues and podcast co-hosts, Colson admitted: ‘The hardest bit was walking down the stairs knowing you two were there. I just stood in the doorway of the green room and just looked at you two.’

He added: ‘The thing I’m going to miss more than anything in the world isn’t Craig Tinker, it’s the green room. I have learned everything about life in that building. Every good day I’ve had in my life and every bad day I’ve had in my life, I’ve been in there.’

Reflecting on his on the show, Colson confessed that he has loved ‘every single second’ of his time on the show and feels ‘incredibly lucky’ to have been a part of the show for so long.

Colson told MailOnline: ‘Autumn last year I was told that Craig Tinker’s time on the Cobbles is to come to end in 2025.

‘I’ve loved every single second of my 14 year stay as a resident on the greatest street in the world. I feel incredibly lucky to have grown up in, on and around Coronation Street.

‘I’ve learned pretty much everything about life from the people who call it home. I’m excited to play out the exit story for our Craigy. For me, this is the end of the beginning.

‘I genuinely can’t wait to see what chapter two has in store for me.’

Colson has had a huge transformation over his 14 years on the show, as he looks almost unrecognisable from when he first set foot on the set.

Over the last few years, Colson has undergone an incredible weight loss journey, which saw him deal with some hard habits.

In 2021, he revealed to The Mirror that he used to ‘self-harm’ with food and ‘didn’t see how much damage’ he was inflicting on himself.

Now, sources are claiming that Colson’s character will meet his maker in dramatic scenes this summer, after bosses made the ‘tough decision’ to kill him off

He told the publication: ‘My routine (before) was very difficult as I kind of left my parents at 17 to live in Manchester, which was away from home.

‘And when everyone else was at uni, I’m sat on bloody Deliveroo every night. So I kind of had got myself into a really unhealthy position where food was a self-harm to me.

‘It was my comfort and I didn’t realise how much damage I was doing to myself with it.’

But at the end of 2019, Colson decided he wanted to ‘look after’ himself after years of feeling like ‘the odd one out’.

Showing his dedication to his transformation and the show, he approached Coronation Street boss Iain MacLeod to ask if his weight loss could be weaved into his character’s storyline.

Although the star admitted lockdown could have been the ‘perfect excuse’ to pile the weight on, he said it had the opposite effect – forcing him to ‘stop and refocus’.

Colson changed his food and started going to the gym and running.

Since November, Charlotte Jordan, Sue Cleaver, Sue Devaney, Colson, and Luca Toolan — have all announced they will be leaving Corrie.

Other actors have reportedly vented their fury on a WhatsApp group over fears they could be next.

It comes as some of the show’s mid-ranking actors and younger stars are said to be worried they’ll be axed in a bid to save money.

Some of the younger stars are said to fear they’ll be written off the show in order to keep established stars like Bill Roache and Jack P. Shepherd on board.

A source said: ‘There’s a WhatsApp group which has been pinging with messages about concerns of where the axe will fall next.’

‘It’s a tough time on the soap and it’s filtering down. There is a feeling more people will be cut to save money and to keep the best-paid stars like Bill Roache and Jack P Shepherd on board.’

The insider added that cast members have also complained about the long working hours.

They added: ‘Filming is tough. One person moaned they were ‘worked like dogs’. The days of bumper pay are gone.’