Tony Maudsley has quickly established himself as a fan favourite on Coronation Street.
The 55-year-old joined the cast of the ITV show as George Shuttleworth in 2020 and has been a mainstay on the programme since. He is currently at the centre of one of the soap's major storylines after Todd Grimshaw was poached by rival undertakers, RestEasy.
George has replaced Todd with Mary and was forced to lie that she had started off successfully in Friday's episode. Todd was also forced to lie to George as he hated his first day at RestEasy after he was forced to take more money from a grieving family.
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The storyline looks set to rumble on and Tony will continue to be a key part in Coronation Street as he revealed he signed a new contract earlier this year. He announced on Twitter: "I only told her I'd signed a new contract and this is what happens! I thought she'd be pleased! That's George keeping Eyelash on her toes until at least July 2024, and I couldn't be happier."
Tony has previously revealed he played other parts in Coronation Street before he took on the role of George. Speaking about the past scenes, he told Lorraine Kelly: "Corrie was my very first job out of drama school, so I've kind of come full circle 30 years later. I did a scene with Roy Barraclough, so here I am back 30 years later."
Tony loves his role on the soap and has previously admitted he has no plans of exiting the show anytime soon. He told Inside Soap in 2021; "They can’t get rid of George, as there would be no one to bury him! I hope that doesn’t happen in the near future, as I’m happy on Corrie."
The Kirkby actor has enjoyed a successful career in television as he is also renowned for his role as Kenneth du Beke on Benidorm. Away from the screen, Tony regularly shares updates from his life with his 29,500 Instagram followers.
Fans have taken to the social media account recently to praise Tony after they noticed his trimmer physique in snaps when he posed alongside Gareth Pierce, who plays Todd Grimshaw.
Ali said: "Looking very trim Mr M." Theresa posted: "How did you shed Weight"
Michelle commented: "Looking so well."
Viewers following episodes of Corrie on Twitter have been in agreement as they praised Tony's transformation.
On Twitter, Tara said: "George Shuttleworth and Eileen Grimshaw look great after their weight losses. Well done!"
Stevie commented: "George Shuttleworth the Funeral Director hasn’t half dropped some weight, looks well on it, & so much younger"
Bebop tweeted: "Has George lost a load of weight"
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