Like Gail Platt, she has survived a family tragedy, wrongful imprisonment, and five husbands, one of whom was a serial killer.
But this week actress Helen Worth will film her final scenes as the beloved character, bidding farewell to the cobbles of Coronation Street after an astonishing 50-year career.
Announcing her departure from the show in June, the 73-year-old said: “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 still haven’t fully absorbed the fact that I’m leaving.
In her latest series, Gail finds love again, but this time with a man 18 years younger following the surprise return of Jesse Chadwick, played by 55-year-old John Thomson.
The coronation street legend, better known on screen as Gail Platt, will finish filming this week. Pictured here in tonight’s episode.
Gail McIntyre, played by Helen Worth, got married in a registry office in 2015
Gail Platt gets married in an episode of Coronation Street in 2010
Thomson left the show after two years in 2010, but returned and struck up a romance with the character Mrs. Worth.
Gail, who first appeared on the ITV soap in 1974, holds the record for being the most married female character.
Her on-screen husbands include Brian Tilsley, played by Christopher Quinten, and Martin Platt (Sean Wilson).
More than 19 million viewers watched her third husband, serial killer Richard Hillman (Brian Capron), take her to a network in one of the show’s most dramatic episodes.
Gail marries Martin Platt, played by Sean Wilson, in 1991. She holds the record as the most married female soap character.
An episode of Coronation Street in 1988. The series changed its theme after Gail’s death to the sound of a heartbeat.
She was falsely imprisoned when her fourth husband, Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale), drowned. Her last marriage was to Michael Rodwell (Les Dennis) in 2015.
Ms Worth’s departure isn’t the only change on the cobbles, with the soap altering its iconic theme song last night with the sound of a slow heartbeat following Gail Platt’s cardiac arrest.
In scenes broadcast last week, Gail was taken to hospital after a heart attack as Coronation Street teamed up with the British Heart Foundation to raise awareness of heart disease.
