'The Games' star Colson Smith avoided swimming as a child because of his weight

Colson Smith has revealed that he couldn’t swim before signing up for The Games because when he was younger he felt too embarrassed about his weight to go in the pool.

The Coronation Street actor is one of the celebrity contestants on the ITV reality series, which sees stars tackling a range of Olympic-style sports events including swimming and diving.

Smith has previously spoken about being overweight in the past, but overhauled his diet and fitness regime during the coronavirus lockdown and shed several stone.

Read more: Colson Smith shares weight loss journey: 'I was self-harming through food'

Talking to The Sun about The Games, he said that he was “never a sporty kid” when he was at school and revealed that he had avoided swimming.

“When I took on The Games I couldn’t swim,” said the actor.

“As a kid I never wanted to be in a swimming pool. For me it was associated with humiliation. In school, with your top off, being fat, you don’t want to go swimming.”

Smith, 23, wowed his fans during lockdown when he shared snaps on Instagram showing off his new trim frame.

Speaking at a press event last year, he said: “I’m the sort of person who cares more about other people than I do about myself. I’m always trying to please people but, in lockdown, I didn’t have to do that.

"It gave me an opportunity to put myself first and concentrate purely on me.”

The actor has also charted his weight loss journey in a documentary entitled Bored Of Being The Fat Kid.

Read more: Coronation Street star Colson Smith celebrates birthday with latest weight loss selfie

Smith is best known for playing the character Craig Tinker on the cobbles.

The actor joined the ITV soap in 2011, when he was only 12.

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