Former Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas has spoken out about being declared bankrupt in the past, saying that he

had “a few problems” with money when he was younger.

The star, who played Jason Grimshaw on the soap for 16 years, told The Times that he was paid a salary of £100,000 a

year after joining the show at the age of 16, and that his lack of a financial role model meant that he didn’t learn how to manage his money.

“I had money from a very young age – and for a 16-year-old I had a hell of a lot of money,” he said (quotes via The Mirror). “So, I did have a credit card growing up and it caused me a few problems.”

The actor, who also starred in Neighbours as Rafael Humphreys for a brief period in 2018, added that he began to fall behind with his credit card repayments, which resulted in him racking up debts that he didn’t know about.

He eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2013 after becoming aware of an unpaid tax bill. But Thomas explained that he doesn’t regret what he went through, as it helped him to learn to manage his finances.

“I don’t regret any of the things that happened to me because I actually feel like they’ve been a real blessing,” he said. “I’ve learnt so much and I don’t think to myself, ‘Oh, I did this, I did that,’ because I’m the sort of guy who takes a day at a time anyway.

“I don’t really think about too much into the future and during that time I was earning anyway, so it wasn’t like I was jobless. I just lost everything and started again.”

Thomas decided to leave the world of acting behind in 2021, but he has since taken part in a number of reality TV shows, including Celebrity MasterChef.

He was also crowned the winner of Celebrity Big Brother in 2018 and of Dancing on Ice earlier this year, after he skated to victory with professional partner Amani Fancy.

Following his win, Thomas revealed that he has been “talking about” making a return to acting, saying, “It is my trade after all, so I need to use that to the best of my advantage”.

Thomas made an unexpected comeback to the original Corrie set this summer, after he attended a birthday party in the building that used to be the medical centre before the show relocated its set in 2014.