Coronation Street‘s Jack P Shepherd has revealed a secret cast rule, which one legendary star failed to follow.
On an episode of the On the Sofa podcast, hosted by co-stars Shepherd, Ben Price and Colson Smith, the actors discussed Smith’s exit from the soap as Craig Tinker after 14 years in the role.
“I’ve had the best and the worst days of my life on that street. I feel like I owe a lot to it, and I kind of want to say goodbye and mark it. It’s weird how a street can hold so much to you,” Smith said.
“It’s bizarre because it is just a street, but it’s like saying goodbye to your life really.”
PC Craig Tinker is currently still guarding the streets of Weatherfield before he leaves the cobbles later this year, but Smith has already filmed his final scenes on the show. He was given a warm send-off by the cast and crew, with a “leaving do” in Manchester.
The actor went on to share that he left the Corrie WhatsApp group the day after his party, which is an unwritten rule after exiting the soap.
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“I left the main group straight away. It was Saturday morning, I got home and I thought I want to get out of the WhatsApp group as quick as I can,” he said.
“I just put in the group, ‘Thanks to everyone who came last night. It was a perfect ending to my time on the show’, and I left.”
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Shepherd explained: “With the group, it’s meant to be as soon as you leave the show you have to leave the group.”
He added: “That’s not a rule that we’ve made up. It’s a rule that ‘upstairs’ have made up. So the grown-ups told us this is what we need to stick to.”
Meanwhile, Shepherd revealed that there are “a few” former co-stars who have remained in the group after leaving the soap, including his and Price’s on-screen mum Helen Worth (who played Gail Rodwell).
“I don’t think anyone has got the heart to tell them to leave, and that person is Helen Worth. I don’t think she’s even checked the group to see what’s going on, but it amuses me to see she’s still on it.”
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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