Ryan Thomas explains why he returned to 'Coronation Street' years after leaving

Ryan Thomas has finally shared the real reason behind his return to the ITV soap Coronation Street nine years after quitting the show.

In a new interview with Metro on Sunday, the 40-year-old actor, who played Jason Grimshaw in the show from 2000 until leaving in 2016, said, "It was a mix of nostalgia and gratitude for what the show has done for me."

He further said, "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."

“I couldn’t sleep the night before. 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,” continued the actor. “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.”

Previously, an insider 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,” added the confidant. “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."

After leaving Coronation Street in 2016, the TV star later quit acting.

"It's hard for me. I started off acting, I started off in that game and I really lost the bug for it,” Ryan said on Mancs on the Mic at that time.