How long has Helen Worth been on Coronation Street and when will Gail Platt leave the Corrie cobbles?
CORONATION Street fans have been left in shock after it was revealed Helen Worth has quit the cobbles.
The actress’ iconic Corrie character Gail Platt has been a staple of the show for a decade.
Coronation Street legend Helen Worth has quit Coronation StreetRex Features
Corrie’s Gail Platt has been on the soap for a decadeRex
How long has Helen Worth played Gail Platt on Coronation Street?
Actress Helen Worth’s Gail Platt first arrived on the Corrie cobbles on July 29, 1974.
As of June 2024, she has appeared in well over four thousand episodes of Coronation Street.
The TV star’s contributions to the soap even earned her an MBE in the Queen’s Jubilee Honours in 2022.
Since her first appearance, Gail has been in-and-out of six marriages – each one more disastrous than the last with every husband either dying or cheating or being a serial killer.
What has Helen Worth said about leaving Coronation Street?
On June 5, 2024, The Sun exclusively revealed that actress Helen Worth had quit Coronation Street.
The soap star will start filming her exit story in July 2024 and the emotional scenes will be on screen at the end of the year.
Helen said: “This year felt like the perfect time to leave the show after celebrating 50 years in the most wonderful job on the most wonderful street in the world.
“I made the decision at the start of the year and spoke to the producers who were very kind and understanding.
“I have been truly blessed to have been given the most incredible scripts week in week out, and to have worked with fantastic actors, directors and a brilliant crew.
“The past 50 years have flown by and I don’t think the fact that I am leaving has quite sunk in yet.”
What have Coronation Street bosses said about Helen Worth’s exit?
Coronation Street’s executive Producer Iain Macleod reflected on Helen Worth’s incredible journey on the ITV soap.
He praised her for being a “huge part” of the show, and how mkuch she will be “missed”.
Iain said: “The words ‘legend’ and ‘icon’ get used a lot these days but they genuinely do apply to Gail and to Helen Worth.
Everyone connected to the show will miss having her around the place just as much as the viewers will miss having her on their screens and we wish her all the very best for the future.
Helen Worth
“However, given her humility, I know Helen won’t thank me for saying so!
In Helen’s hands, Gail has been a huge part of Coronation Street for five decades and at the centre of some of the most memorable storylines.
“Often deriving from her catastrophically bad luck in choosing husbands!
“Her ill-fated marriage to Richard Hillman was one of the most ground-breaking stories in soap history and cemented Gail’s already established status as one of the Corrie greats.
Gail Platt was married six times on the soapRex Features
Helen Worth with her onscreen mum Audrey played by Sue NichollsRex Features
“As the matriarch of the Platt clan, her affectionately prickly relationships with her kids and flighty mum Audrey epitomise what makes the show great.
Complicated family dynamics brought to life impeccably by Helen’s dramatic and comedic chops, alongside those of her fictional clan.
“Gail has given us countless hours of entertainment but it should also be said that Helen herself is a consummate professional and a thoroughly good egg.
“Everyone connected to the show will miss having her around the place just as much as the viewers will miss having her on their screens and we wish her all the very best for the future.”
Gail's biggest Corrie storylines
Over the years the character of Gail Platt has been the centre of several major plots.
Here we take a look back over actress Helen Worth’s biggest storylines:
Teenage daughter’s pregnancy
One of Gail’s most controversial storylines was in 1999.
It came when her 13-year-old daughter Sarah became pregnant.
Multiple marriages
Gail holds the record for the series’ most married female character.
She has been wed a whopping six times, each one worse the last.
Married to a serial killer
One of Gail’s multiple marriages saw her wed Richard Hillman, who turned out to be a serial killer.
At the climax of the storyline, 19 million fans tuned in to watch Hillman drive his wife and her family into a canal.
Scrapping on The Street
Gail has proved over the years she can’t resist a good scrap.
Her most memorable bust-up saw her attack Eileen Grimshaw on the cobbles in 2004 while in her dressing gown.
Jail bird
In 2010, Gail found herself wrongly banged up in jail.
She was wrongfully arrested for murdering her 4th husband Joe McIntyre.
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