The real-life story behind Craig's OCD Corrie storyline

It’s fascinating how it takes different forms. How it’s seen in the public needs to change. The stigma needs to go.

It’s a condition that affects almost 750,000 people in the UK, but it’s also one of the country’s most misunderstood illnesses. Obsessive compulsive disorder is more than just extreme tidiness - and no one knows that better than Richard Taylor who provided the inspiration for Colson Smith’s portrayal of OCD in Corrie.

At just 19, Richard was housebound for nine months: dropping to a dangerously low weight; battling with suicidal thoughts; and unable to peel himself from his bed for fear of contamination. Colson joins us to explain why he wanted to get his portrayal of Corrie copper, Craig Tinker, just right. Alongside him is Richard, who hopes the soap’s hard-hitting storyline will help others in the future.