Coronation Street followers speculate Gail can have an ill-fated exit
Coronation Street fans are convinced that Helen Worth’s character will be killed off from the show after spotting a clue in a statement released by the ITV soap.
Helen Worth, 73, – who portrays Gail Platt a fan favourite in the hit soap – quit her role after successfully playing the character for 50 years from 1974.
The news devastated fans across the UK and some took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to speculate how her character’s storyline will end.
One fan pleaded: ‘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.’;
Coronation Street fans are convinced that Helen Worth’s character will be killed off from the show after spotting a clue in a statement released by the ITV soap
Helen Worth, 73, – who portrays Gail Platt a fan favourite in the hit soap – quit her role after successfully playing the character for 50 years from 1974 (pictured with Christopher Quinten in 1979)
‘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.’
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.’
The news devastated fans across the UK and some took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to speculate how her character’s storyline will end
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.’
Helen grew up in Morecambe, Lancashire, but now lives in London and commutes to the set in Manchester each week.
She has been married twice, unlike Gail who has had five husbands – four of whom have died, and one was a notorious serial killer.
Helen’s first husband was actor Michael Angelis, who is best known for narrating the Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends children’s series.
They met during the 70s and finally tied the knot in 1991. Michael admitted that he had cheated on Helen in 1995, but the British star forgave him.
However, their marriage came to an end 21 years later after Michael had a second affair with Welsh model Jennifer Khalastchi.
At the time, Helen told The Mirror: ‘Nothing can ever prepare you for the day your husband sits you down and tells you he is having an affair. My marriage was everything to me. It was the foundation on which everything else was built.
‘I had been with Michael for nearly half of my life. I never imagined that we wouldn’t grow old together.
‘When he told me, everything just went black. Things started to make sense. Maybe I realised right away that something like that had been bound to happen. Things hadn’t been right for some time, but – naively maybe – I didn’t think it was serious. I knew there was a problem. I just didn’t know it was me.’
Despite the heartbreak, Helen and Michael remained friends until he passed away in 2020. She even defended him after the affair, claiming he wasn’t a ‘love rat and cheat’.
Following her divorce, Helen had a brief relationship with London restaurant owner Simon Hopkinson.
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
Years later, she found love again with Trevor Dawson, a deputy headmaster seven years her junior.
The pair met at a friend’s 90th birthday bash, with Trevor claiming it was ‘love at first sight’.
Helen and Trevor tied the knot while surrounded by friends, family and Corrie co-stars at St James’s Church in London in 2012.
She most recently spoke about her second husband during an appearance on This Morning back in 2021: ‘I met Trevor about 10 years ago and I just thank my lucky stars really. He’s just gorgeous.’
It comes before Helen announced on Wednesday that she will be leaving her iconic role on Coronation Street.
Half a century after she first walked onto the cobbles, viewers will see Helen bid farewell to the street in a major storyline for her family, which includes son Nick Tilsley (Ben Price), daughter Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien), son David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd), granddaughter Bethany Platt ( Lucy Fallon ) and Gail’s mother Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls).
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!’
It comes after the actress, who celebrates 50 years on the ITV show next month, made the difficult decision to step down from her role as Gail Rodwell at the end of the year
During her almost 50 years on the soap, the character has had many iconic moments including when she was nearly drowned by her killer husband Richard Hillman
Another groundbreaking plot came when Gail’s teenage daughter Sarah Platt fell pregnant at the age of 13
‘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.’
Helen made her debut as a young Gail in 1974 and was soon followed by her despairing mother Audrey (played by Sue Nicholls).
In her nearly 50-year stint on the soap, she 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.
Her 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.
Gail is no stranger to comedic moments either, including a legendary cobbles fight with Eileen Grimshaw, after learning her son Todd had got Sarah pregnant.
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).
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.
The character has also been married five times in her nearly 50-year stint on the soap (pictured with Phil Nail played by Clive Russell)
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
Viewers will see Helen bid farewell to the street in a major storyline for her family, which includes son son David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd)
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.
