Helen Worth’s exit storyline from Coronation Street has reportedly been uncovered, and it’s a tearjerker.
The soap icon has played Gail Platt for 50 years, but broke all our hearts when she announced that she would be leaving the cobbles for good very soon.
She is set to film her final storyline next month, with Gail’s departure expected to air later this year.
According to reports, the Platt matriarch will have one final love affair in Weatherfield before making her exit – with a very familiar face.
It has been claimed that she will rekindle her romance with ex-husband Martin Platt, teasing a bombshell return for actor Sean Wilson.
‘A number of options were considered for Gail’s departure from the cobbles but bosses knew the moment needed to truly celebrate one of Corrie’s most iconic characters as well as honour Helen’s astonishing run on the soap,’ an insider said.
‘It just didn’t sit right to kill her off or have Gail suffer more tragedy after, let’s face it, a pretty traumatic life.
‘Martin was always considered the one that got away and bosses are thrilled they’ve been able to tempt Sean back to wave Gail goodbye.’
‘The plotline has many nuances, twists and turns but script writers all want this to feel like a gorgeous end of Gail’s story, with her finally finding her happy ending,’ the source added to the Sun.
Sean joined Coronation Street in 1985, and instantly found himself at the centre of some of the biggest storylines on the show.
He soon fell in love with Gail and they tied the knot, before going on to welcome son David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd) together – they divorced in 2000.
His character famously embarked on a string of affairs, including a controversial relationship with underage neighbour Katy, who was 16 at the time – sparking a huge reaction from soap fans.
After decades on our screens, Martin left Weatherfield in 2005, before returning briefly in 2018.
Ahead of her milestone 50th year on the cobbles, Helen confirmed that she would be bowing out for good, and leaving the role of a lifetime as Gail.
‘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,’ she said in a statement earlier this month.
‘I made the decision at the start of the year and spoke to the producers who were very kind and understanding’, Helen said.
‘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.’
Executive Producer Iain Macleod also 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.
