Helen Worth, who has played Gail Platt in Coronation Street for 50 years, is to leave the show. The announcement comes just a month before the actor celebrates her golden anniversary on the soap.
Worth, 73, 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.”
For half a century, Worth has commuted to the Manchester set every week. Growing up in Morecambe, Lancashire, and now living in London, she has made the journey consistently for 50 years.
Helen Worth’s character, Gail, has a tumultuous marital history, with six marriages and four deceased husbands. One of her most memorable storylines involved discovering that her husband, Richard Hillman, was a serial killer. In a famous 2003 episode, Hillman confessed to multiple murders of Weatherfield residents and attempted to drown Gail and her family by driving them into a canal. Fortunately, they were rescued, while Hillman drowned.
Worth has been integral to many landmark storylines, including a controversial 1999 plot where her on-screen 13-year-old daughter, Sarah, became pregnant. Over five decades, Worth has appeared in an impressive tally of over 4,450 episodes. Her contributions were recognized with a lifetime achievement honour at the 2014 British Soap Awards and a “must-see moment” BAFTA nomination in 2019.
Executive producer Iain MacLeod said: “The words ‘legend’ and ‘icon’ get used a lot these days but they genuinely do apply to Gail and to Helen Worth… Gail has given us countless hours of entertainment… 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.”
