Coronation Street’s gambling addiction expert recalls harrowing real-life struggles before recovery that he drew on to bring soap’s Ed Bailey’s devastating storyline to the screen

Coronation Street bosses have gone to great lengths to ensure Ed Bailey’s gambling addiction storyline is as true to life as possible.

The character, played by Trevor Michael Georges, has struggled to control his gambling behavior in recent months.

Viewers saw a fire break out at a construction site in Weatherfield last week, with the cause of the incident being suspicious as it happened at the same time as Ed was struggling to sell his family construction business.

Desperate for cash, Ed told his family at Christmas that he had had to sell their presents to reclaim some of the money he had lost due to his gambling addiction.

To ensure that soap bosses were telling a story that was true to life, they enlisted the help of an expert who, as a recovered gambling addict, had similar real-life experiences.

The character, played by Trevor Michael Georges (pictured), has struggled to control his gambling in recent months

Colin Walsh, 46, went out of his way to fund his own addiction over a 20-year period.

He took money out of his company after racking up thousands in debt, with the former recruitment director’s problems spiraling out of control.

He told the Mirror: ‘It’s fantastic that Coronation Street presents this gambling storyline and shows how easily gambling can get out of hand.

‘I gambled for twenty years and at the peak I gambled every day, both online and in person at the bookmakers.

‘I started playing a few sports at 16, continued studying and by the time I left I was gambling more regularly.’

He said his friends and family had no idea what was going on, adding that he became “an expert at hiding my behavior.”

Colin explained: ‘At the height of my gambling activities I had over ten online accounts and regularly gambled online for large stakes. I never calculated how much it was in total, but I know it was a large chunk of money.

‘The problem is that my debts kept increasing. I had credit cards, loans and overdrafts that were increasing. In my head I kept telling myself that I would have a big win and everything would be fine.”

Colin Walsh, 46 (pictured), did his utmost to fund his own addiction over a period of 20 years and drew on his real-life experience to advise Coronation Street bosses

Colin took money from his company to fund his habit and eventually sought help when they asked him where the money had gone.

After admitting to them what had happened, he made his wife tell her – a conversation he said was one of the most difficult of his life.

He realized that his problems went beyond his financial affairs and were actually related to his mental health.

Colin praised his wife for supporting him as he sought help and kicked his habit.

Ed was questioned this week about the Coronation Street fire, with his family admitting they knew how bad things had become for him.

And he made a confession about the fire that left his loved ones stunned.

He said: ‘Everything I told the police was the truth. I didn’t start that fire. I didn’t stop it either.’

Desperate for cash, Ed told his family at Christmas that he had had to sell their presents to reclaim some of the money he had lost to his gambling addiction.

Ed said the fire started accidentally, but he turned around and a sleeping bag burst into flames, causing the fire to spread.

“My mind went blank… I just froze,” he explained. ‘I just wanted it all to go away. The garden, the debts, the sleepless nights. And it flashed through my mind: If I just stayed there, it would all be over.”

Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.

For help with a gambling problem, call GamCare 24 hours a day on 0808 8020 133 or visit www.gamcare.org.uk