SOAP SHOCK
Coronation Street legend Helen Worth quits soap after playing Gail Platt for 50yrs – & will leave in ’emotional scenes’
Fans have been quick to leave tributes for the star after half a century on the cobbles
CORONATION Street legend Helen Worth has quit the cobbles after 50 years.
The actress, 73, has played Gail Platt for half a century but will film her final scenes later this year, The Sun can reveal.
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Helen will start filming her exit story next month and the emotional scenes will be on screen at the end of the year.
In a statement 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.
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“The past 50 years have flown by and I don't think the fact that I am leaving has quite sunk in yet.”
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.
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“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.
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“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.”
Helen's exit will come towards the end of the year with bosses working on a goodbye worthy of the character.
With the ITV soap teasing it will be an emotional exit, it seems likely that viewers will be saying a final farewell to Gail.
A huge loss to Corrie
The Sun's Soaps editor Carl Greenwood reveals how this is a massive blow to Coronation Street
THERE will be a huge hole on Coronation Street when Helen Worth leaves the cobbles later this year.
Actress Helen made her first appearance on the cobbles in 1974 as Gail Potter and has lived most of her life on them - and what a life it’s been.
Beloved by millions through the last half a century, Helen created one of the most iconic characters on British television.
Behind only Ken Barlow co-star Bill Roache, Helen has appeared in more episodes of a television series than anyone else.
She’s had more weddings - and surnames - than almost anyone else and buried multiple husbands - all but one ended up dead.
Three kids, four grandkids and a serial killer husband (and brother) - Gail has been at the forefront of Corrie for decades.
She’s been imprisoned, framed for murder, almost murdered multiple times, she’s survived serial killers, her own children and a concerning addiction to olives.
Not to mention countless street brawls with frenemy Eileen Grimshaw.
But through it all she’s remained a Corrie icon and her exit will leave a colossal hole on the cobbles - much bigger than the sinkhole that opened up in her back garden.
New Coronation Street boss Kate Brooks has her work cut out to give Helen and Gail the epic goodbye she deserves.
And they are already emotional over the upcoming goodbye.
One wrote: "The mention of 'emotional scenes' has me a bit worried about a possible death but I hope not. Maybe I’m just reading too much into it."
A second said: "She might not be in it a lot these days but Gail will still be such a massive loss to Coronation Street. An amazing character with such a rich history on the show."
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Another added: "Helen Worth's portrayal of Gail Platt has been stupendous throughout her five decades on the Street, but Gail's Monologue from six years ago remains one of the best performances I have ever seen on television to date.
"I'm so sad that Helen will leave the cobbles, but she will leave with our enduring gratitude for her hard work over the last 50 years."
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