Coronation Street’s Sally Dynevor joined a host of the soap’s cast in paying tribute to “guiding light” Helen Worth, after she announced on Wednesday that she was leaving the show.
The actress has played Gail Platt on the ITV show for 50 years, but will retire in a dramatic new storyline which will conclude at the end of the year.
Sally, who plays Sally Metcalfe in Corrie, was among the first stars to share a tribute to Helen after bosses announced her departure.
Speaking on Loose Women, he said: ‘She really is a Corrie legend. Helen called me yesterday but I didn’t think she was going to finish until Friday.
‘I’m going to miss her a lot. Helen was there before me and was a guiding light. ‘She is a wonderful actress.’
Coronation Street’s Sally Dynevor joined a host of the soap’s cast in paying tribute to ‘guiding light’ Helen Worth, after she announced on Wednesday that she was leaving the show.
The actress has played Gail Platt on the ITV show for 50 years, but will retire in a dramatic new storyline which will conclude at the end of the year.
Many other cast members offered sweet tributes to Helen in the soap’s Instagram post announcing her departure.
Among them was Tina O’Brien, who plays Gail’s daughter Sarah Platt, writing: “I cannot put into words how much I love and adore Helen.”
Lucy Fallon, who plays granddaughter Bethany, shared a sweet crying emoji, while Sally Carman (Abi Franklin) commented: “Wonderful Helen, she will be sorely missed.” A really special person.’
Colson Smith (Craig Tinker) commented: “A Corrie icon”, and Samia Longchambon (Maria Connor) posted: “Helen will be sorely missed.”
Half a century after first walking the cobbles, viewers will see Helen say goodbye to the street in an important story for her family.
His son Nick Tilsley (Ben Price), his daughter Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien), his son David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd), his granddaughter Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) and his mother Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) are believed to be ) will be involved. .
In her almost 50 years on the soap, she has been married five times, including to Brian Tilsey (Christopher Quinten), who was tragically stabbed to death, and Martin Platt (Sean Wilson), one of the soap’s longest-serving characters.
Helen has been at the center of a series of explosive stories, including her daughter Sarah’s teenage pregnancy and the death of her debt-ridden fourth husband, Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale), during a failed life insurance scheme.
Many other cast members offered sweet tributes to Helen in the soap’s Instagram post announcing her departure.
Among them was Tina O’Brien, who plays Gail’s daughter Sarah Platt, writing: “I cannot put into words how much I love and adore Helen.”
Helen, who will celebrate 50 years on the ITV show next month, has made the difficult decision to leave her role as Gail Rodwell at the end of the year.
One of Gail’s most iconic moments came in a 2003 episode, when she discovered that her husband Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) was a serial killer.
Helen will begin filming her coming out story next month and emotional scenes will appear on screen later in the year.
Helen said in a statement on Wednesday: “This year seemed 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 beginning of the year and spoke to the producers, who were very kind and understanding.
“I have been truly blessed to have received the most incredible scripts week after week and to have worked with fantastic actors and directors and a brilliant team.
“The last 50 years have flown by and I don’t think it’s yet fully sunk in that I’m leaving.”
Executive producer Iain Macleod added: “The words ‘legend’ and ‘icon’ are thrown around a lot these days, but they really apply to Gail and Helen Worth.”
‘However, given her humility, I know Helen won’t thank me for telling her! In Helen’s hands, Gail has been a major part of Coronation Street for five decades and has been at the center of some of the most memorable storylines – often stemming from her catastrophic bad luck when it comes to choosing husbands!
“Her ill-fated marriage to Richard Hillman was one of the most groundbreaking storylines in soap history and cemented Gail’s already established status as one of Corrie’s greats.”
“As the matriarch of the Platt clan, her loving, prickly relationships with her children and mercurial mother Audrey epitomize what makes the show great: complicated family dynamics brought impeccably to life by Helen’s dramatic and comedic chops, along with of his fictional clan.
“Gail has provided us with countless hours of entertainment, but it must also be said that Helen is a consummate professional and a great person.”
“Everyone connected to the show will miss having her on site as much as viewers will miss having her on their screens and we wish her all the best for the future.”
While her exit story has been kept top secret, some fans have speculated that Gail will die in her final episode, citing the character’s heart attack in 2021.
The story from three years ago saw Gail suffer a minor heart attack after having a fight with her son David Platt.
Helen made her debut as a young Gail on July 29, 1974, and was soon followed by her desperate mother Audrey (played by Sue Nicholls).