Coronation Street’s Sue Cleaver pays heartfelt tribute to Helen Worth as she sets to leave cobbles for good
Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver has opened up about her co-star Helen Worth's departure from the ITV soap as Gail Platt after 50 years, admitting the cast are 'devastated'.
Coronation Street favourite Sue Cleaver has opened up about feeling ‘devastated’ as her long-time co-star Helen Worth bids farewell to her iconic role as Gail Platt on the soap after an impressive 50-year tenure.
At the age of 73, Helen has been the heart of the show playing Gail since 1974, and her departure is set to follow what’s been teased as “a major storyline for the Platt family”.
During a chat on Loose Women on Friday (December 20), Sue let slip just how much she’s going to miss her friend and colleague, sharing: “Helen leaving, I can’t tell you it’s really awful, it’s really sad. We are all devastated. I mean she has deserved it, I mean 50 years is extraordinary isn’t it.
“One think I tell you is, she is the most generous, empathetic, humble human being you will ever meet, and everybody loves her.”
Sue, who’s been playing the role of Corrie’s Eileen Grimshaw since 2000, reflected on Helen’s influence on the show: “If you speak to Jack Shepherd and Tina O’Brien who play her kids in the show, they will say she has been a mentor.
“She has taught them everything they know, from how you behave on the set, etiquette.
Coronation Street’s Sue Cleaver on Loose Women. (Image: ITV)
“She is just the most generous soul and we are going to miss her so much. There is going to be a massive Helen hole.”
Corrie fans are in for a treat this Christmas Day when Gail makes her grand exit from the cobbles, promising an episode you won’t want to miss.
While certain aspects of the episode are being kept hush-hush, it’s yet to be seen if she’ll get her fairy-tale ending.
The holiday episode is rumoured to centre around the Platts, as she grapples with whether she can proceed with her nuptials to Jesse Chadwick (John Thomson).