RYAN Thomas has revealed the emotional reason for returning to Coronation Street – nine years after quitting his role as Jason Grimshaw.

The star, 40, played builder Jason in the ITV soap from 2000 until leaving in 2016.

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Earlier this year, The Sun revealed Ryan would be making a comeback to the cobbles after almost a decade away.

He has now opened up about the emotional reason behind his return.

Speaking to Metro, Ryan said: “It was a mix of nostalgia and gratitude for what the show has done for me.

“When they told me Eileen was leaving, it felt right to be a part of that storyline for her and revisit where it all started.”

Elsewhere, the star admitted how he “couldn’t sleep the night before” – despite his long tenure on the soap.

Ryan shared: “Even though I’d been there half my life, I felt like the new kid at school.

“It took me half a day to get rid of the nerves. It was a bit of a shock to the system at first.

“I even went on YouTube to rewatch old scenes and got nervous.

“But it became the norm again very quickly. Everything about the script made it easy for me.”

A source previously told us: “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.”

Since leaving Coronation Street in 2016, Ryan later quit acting after saying he “lost the bug for it”.

At the time, he revealed on Mancs on the Mic: “It’s hard for me. I started off acting, I started off in that game and I really lost the bug for it.

Corrie cash crisis: shock exits for 2025

ITV bosses are locked in a battle to save the cash-strapped soap.

This means that a number of stars have either been axed from or have abandoned the long-running serial drama.

Colson Smith – Craig Tinker

The character of Craig Tinker has been axed by bosses after 14 years. After he was told of the news in Autumn 2024, Colson Smith confirmed that would be written out of the show with scenes to air later this year. Craig’s on-screen mum, Beth Tinker, also left the show in the summer when actress Lisa George was written out from the role.

Sue Cleaver – Eileen Grimshaw

After 25 years playing Eileen Grimshaw, former I’m A Celebrity campmate Sue Cleaver will quit the show. The Sun on Sunday reported in January that she’s already begun to film her exit scenes. However the character will not be killed off in case Sue opts to make a return in the future.

Luca Toolan – Mason Radcliffe

Bosses decided to axe the teenage character after just 16 months after he first joined the show. Recent scenes saw Mason stabbed by his criminal brothers after his pal Dylan brought a knife in an attempt to defend him.

Sue Devaney – Debbie Webster

In November 2024, we revealed that Debbie Webster is set to be killed off after 40 years on the cobbles. The character will die as part of a heartbreaking long-running dementia storyline.

Charlotte Jordan – Daisy Midgeley

The actress became the fifth star to leave Coronation Street in just one month. We revealed that she will bow out of the ITV soap later this year after four years on-screen. Charlotte told sources that she’s hungry to see what other opportunities await.

Shelley King – Yasmeen Metcalfe

The actress has played Yasmeen Metcalfe on the cobbles for the past 11 years and we revealed in January that she finished filming her final scenes. This follows the departure of her on-screen partner Stu Carpenter.

“I feel the reason for losing the bug is rejection and going to auditions and not getting them.”

Ryan has had success on reality TV – winning Celebrity Big Brother in 2018 and Dancing on Ice in 2024.

More recently, he and younger brother Adam Thomas have hosted the game show 99 to Beat.

Coronation Street airs on ITV1 and ITVX.

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