Coronation Street star Helen Worth is set to bow out in an explosive new storyline that will involve her entire family – after announcing on Wednesday she’s quit the ITV soap.
The Gail Platt actress will bid farewell to the cobbles at the end of this year, with bosses keeping her exit storyline a closely-guarded secret.
Given the number of close calls Gail has overcome, including famously being driven into the canal by her serial killer husband Richard Hillman, it’s no surprise that fans are already fearing for her final scenes.
Some fans have already begun to speculate that Gail will be killed off, after a 2021 storyline saw her suffer a minor heart attack following a row with her son David.
Half a century after she first walked onto the cobbles, viewers will see Helen bid farewell to the street in a major storyline for the her family.
Coronation Street’s Helen Worth is set to bid farewell to the soap later this year in an explosive new storyline, after being deemed the unluckiest character in the show (Gail is pictured in 2008 in a hospital bed after being pushed down the stairs by her son David)
Some fans have already begun to speculate that Gail will be killed off , after a 2021 storyline saw her suffer a minor heart attack following a row with her son David
It’s thought her son Nick Tilsley (Ben Price), daughter Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien), son David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd), granddaughter Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) and mother Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) will all be involved.
In her nearly 50-year stint on the soap, Gail has been married five times, including Brian Tilsey (Christopher Quinten), who was tragically stabbed to death, and Martin Platt (Sean Wilson), one of the soap’s long-serving characters.
Helen has been at the centre of an array of explosive storylines, including her daughter Sarah’s (Tina O’Brien) teenage pregnancy, and the death of her fourth debt-ridden husband Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale) during a failed life insurance scheme.
One of Gail’s most iconic moments came when she featured in a two-hander episode with her husband Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) in 2003, after learning that he was a serial killer.
The famous episode, which featured a slew of one-liners, saw Richard confess he had killed several people on the cobbles, including Maxine Peacock.
It all culminated in a famous 2003 episode when Richard attempted to end his own life, and the Platts, by driving their car into a canal, and he sadly drowned while the rest of them were rescued.
Almost 20 million viewers tuned into the dramatic episode, sparking a massive electricity surge across Britain as all viewers sought to calm their nerves with a post-show cup of tea.
According to the National Grid at the time, the power surge was equivalent to around 450,000 kettles being switched on, according to a National Grid spokesman.
Given the number of close calls Gail has overcome, including famously being driven in the canal by her serial killer husband Richard Hillman, it’s no surprise that fans are concerned
Gail is also no stranger to getting dragged into her children’s struggles, and she was famously pushed down the stairs by her son David, after he discovered she helped his girlfriend Tina McIntyre terminate her pregnancy.
In 2000, Gail and her daughter Sarah-Louise made headlines, when it was revealed the teen was pregnant at the age of just 13.
Gail had become suspicious of her daughter after she stopped eating, and took her to the doctor with the concern she had an eating disorder.
However, viewers were aghast when it was revealed that Sarah was five months pregnant, and her baby daughter Bethany was born four months later.
Despite coming under some criticism that the storyline would glamourise teenage pregnancy, the programme makers were praised by the government for its handling of the subject.
Defending the storyline, a spokesperson for the soap said at the time: ‘It is a fact that Britain has Europe’s highest teenage pregnancy figures and Coronation Street is reflecting that and telling the story of one young girl.’
Gail’s quest to find love has never been smooth, as she was later conned out of her entire savings by Lewis Archer (Nigel Havers), as revenge for getting in the way of his love for her mother Audrey.
In 2009, Gail also tied the knot with businessman Joe McIntyre, but remained unaware that he was drowning in thousands of pounds of debt, and was shocked to discover he was plotting to fake his death and claim a huge life insurance payout.
After Joe’s death plan went array, leading to him accidentally drowning, Gail was accused of murdering her husband, and she was thrown behind bars while awaitig her trial.
Gail feared the worst, especially when former neighbour Tracy Barlow makes a false testimony against her, claiming that Gail admitted in their prison cell to killing Joe with a rolling pin, but is relieved when she is found not guilty.
In 2003, Gail took centre stage in an iconic episode which saw her serial killer husband Richard Hillman try to kill his family by driving them into the canal
In her nearly 50-year stint on the soap, Gail has been married five times, including Brian Tilsey (Christopher Quinten), who was tragically stabbed to death
In 2000, Gail and her daughter Sarah-Louise made headlines, when it was revealed the teen was pregnant at the age of just 13
However, Gail is no stranger to comedic moments either, including a legendary cobbles fight with Eileen Grimshaw, after learning her son Todd had dumped his pregnant girlfriend Sarah after coming out as gay.
More recently, Gail has been dealing with the fallout of her grandson Max’s grooming at the hands of far-right extremists, to the despair of her son David (Jack P Shepherd).
Given Gail’s history of struggles, fans are understandably concerned that the long-running character may not get her happy ending, and took to social media to speculate about her exit.
Posts on X included: ‘Oh please let her go to Thailand. Don’t kill her off please.’;
‘How are they gonna wrap the Gail character up will they kill her off, will they leave it open for her to make appearances here n there, where does this leave Audrey. So many questions.’;
‘Oh gosh going to miss her. Another wonderful actress departing. Please give her a happy ending.’;
‘Better not be killing that character off. That would be a shoddy way for such a long standing character.’;
‘PLEASE let her have a happy ending! A nice husband who’s not a serial killer she can move away with. I’d return to watching Corrie for that.’
Gail is also no stranger to getting dragged into her children’s struggles, and she was famously pushed down the stairs by her son David
It’s not yet been revealed how Helen’s character Gail will leave the show, however, ITV confirmed that she will start filming her exit story next month and the ’emotional’ scenes will be on screen at the end of the year.
Sharing the news of her exit, 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.’
Thankfully, Helen hasn’t had quite a dramatic life as her character, and once admitted she would ‘be in a mental institution’ if her life was like Gail’s.
She added: ‘I come home and see friends and go to the theatre. Luckily I find it quite easy to switch off – I’d be a nervous wreck if I didn’t.’
Executive Producer Iain Macleod added: ‘The words ‘legend’ and ‘icon’ get used a lot these days but they genuinely do apply to Gail and to 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.’
‘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.’
Many of Helen’s Corrie co-stars also paid tribute, including Sally Dynevor, who described her as a ‘guiding light’ and ‘a wonderful actress.’
In February 2024 it was reported that Helen signed a new one-year contract on Coronation Street worth £250,000.
The soap has been suffering a ‘rocky patch’, a source told The Sun at the time- following a drop in its Christmas viewing figures, which saw it fail to make it into the top 10 most viewed shows.
But ‘dedicated’ Helen, who is said to receive £2,500 per episode, reportedly signed a new one-year deal in a boost for the soap.
The Platts have been a staple of the show for a long time, but viewing figures have declined.
The Christmas Day episode was viewed by 2.6million – down almost three-quarters from 10 years ago.
In December, it was reported ITV bosses were discussing a major shake-up of its soaps which could see them screened first, or exclusively, through online streaming.
The move was prompted by declining viewing figures, forcing budget cuts to Coronation Street and Emmerdale, say ITV sources.
Anxious bosses at the time were desperately looking at how they could attract a new audience, as even their older viewers were reportedly watching less terrestrial TV in favour of streaming giants such as Netflix.