Coronation Street is one of Britain's most loved soaps. It has been a pivotal part of the lives of many actors, including Sue Nicholls, David Barlow, John Savident, who passed away earlier this year, Georgia May Foote.
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Helen Worth is one such actor who is well-loved in the UK thanks to her role as Gail Platt in Coronation Street. Helen has been playing Gail for 50 years. Earlier this year, the actress announced she was leaving the show.
Helen Worth’s last appearance on ITV’s Coronation Street will be during the Christmas special, where she will marry her sixth husband, Jesse Chadwick, played by Cold Feet star John Thomson.
Helen Worth is leaving Coronation Street
In June 2024 Helen Worth revealed she was leaving Coronation Street after 50 years. The 73-year-old didn’t call her departure a retirement, but she explained she felt that her 50th anniversary ‘felt like the perfect time to leave’.
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.
Worth spoke highly about her co-stars and the producers who were ‘kind and understanding’ when she made the decision to leave the show. She also added that the ‘50 years have flown by’ and her leaving hasn’t ‘quite sunk in yet’.
The past 50 years have flown by and I don't think the fact that I am leaving has quite sunk in yet.
Corrie fans will know that Gail has had some incredible storylines over the years. As per Mirror, Gail’s first appearance was in 1974.
A look back at Helen Worth’s 50 years on Coronation Street
Since the start, her character hasn’t lucked out in the love department—having had 6 husbands, 4 of whom died. Gail holds the record for the series’ most married female character.
Moreover, one of her husbands - Richard Hillman - turned out to be a murderer and tried to kill Gail and her family by driving into the canal.
One of Gail’s biggest and most controversial storylines is from 1999 when her 13-year-old daughter Sarah became pregnant. In the show, Gail has three children, Nick, Sarah and David. She also has four grandchildren, Bethany, Harry, Max and Lily.
As per BBC News, Helen has appeared in Coronation Street a total of 4,453 times.
Given her incredible time on the show, let's take a look at how much the actress has earned while on set.
Helen Worth’s net worth & salary
As reported by Mirror, Helen Worth’s net worth has never been revealed, however, due to her career on Corrieshe is said to be one of the show’s highest-paid actresses. She reportedly receives a yearly salary of £250,000.
Moreover, Worth owns a home in London and regularly commutes to Manchester to film her scenes for Corrie. She spoke of her life between the two cities saying:
I come home and see friends and go to the theatre. Luckily I find it quite easy to switch off – I'd be a nervous wreck if I didn't.
Thanks to her role as Gail Platt, Helen has received several awards. In 2014 she won the British Soap Award for Outstanding Achievement and in 2022 she was awarded an MBE for her services to drama.
Read more:
From Corrie to Emmerdale, here are the 15 highest paid soap actors in the UK
Coronation Street star Colson Smith tipped to be on Celebrity Big Brother
Sources used:
BBC News: ‘Helen Worth leaves Coronation Street after 50 years’
Mirror: ‘Coronation Street's Helen Worth's secret life off soap - cheating husband, huge salary and quitting’
