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Helen Worth has spoken out on why she really left Coronation Street – a year and a half after the high-profile exit.
The actress, 75, played Gail Platt for 50 years, making her one of the soap’s longest-running stars, and has now revealed what led her to say goodbye.
As part of her storylines, Gail was married six times, including to Brian Tilsley (Christopher Quinten), who was tragically stabbed to death, and Martin Platt (Sean Wilson), another one of the soap’s long-serving characters.
Helen’s character had been at the centre of an array of explosive storylines, including her daughter Sarah’s 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 in a 2003 episode when she found out her husband Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) was a serial killer.
Helen has spoken out about how filming felt increasingly tough and tiring, particularly in the year before she left, cementing her decision to step away.
Helen Worth has spoken out on why she really left Coronation Street – a year and a half after her high-profile exit
The actress, 75, played the character of Gail Platt for 50 years, making her one of the show’s longest-running stars
She told The Sun: ‘It was only a bit towards the end when I got a bit tired. But the first, how many years? 49 years, were a dream.’
Helen added: ‘My final husband, John Thomson, was absolutely gorgeous to me, because by then I was rattling a bit. It was around about 4,000 episodes and I was rattling a little bit.’
Revealing that she would’t ever return to the soap full-time, Helen said: ‘I had good and bad days… but then you forget the bad days and you just remember the good days.’
Helen shared a heartwarming goodbye message after her dramatic exit from the street on Christmas Day 2024.
The soap star took to X with a video, thanking fans for following along throughout her time on the ITV show.
Helen’s final scenes were shown that Christmas in an emotional moment that saw her start ‘day one of her new life’ with husband Jesse Chadwick (John Thompson) abroad.
Following the emotional episode, Helen thanked fans on X and promised more Platt family storylines to come.
One of Gail’s most iconic moments came in a 2003 episode when she found out her husband Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) was a serial killer
Dressed in a smart blue blazer over a bright red turtle neck and sat in her character’s well-known lounge, Helen said it had been a pleasure to work on the soap and be part of the Platt family for so long.
She said: ‘Hello all of you. It’s wonderful to have this opportunity to say ta ta.
‘It’s been a fabulous 50 years and I just wanted to thank all of you some of you who may have been watching for 50 – is there anybody?
‘And those of you who have been watching for a few years thank you.
‘Thanks for coming on the journey with me. I’ve had a wonderful time.
‘I’ve loved it, all the stories and of course it’s been wonderful working with the wonderful Platts, which for me is what it’s all about – and there’ll be more Platt stories and I hope you’ll be watching.
‘Lots of love and thanks from me.’
Helen’s final episode was as action-packed as her previous 50 years on the soap had been, with the Christmas day storyline featuring an engagement, a pregnancy, an arrest, multiple fights and a lot tears.
