Coronation Street's Helen Worth's life off-screen and why she quit Gail Platt role

Coronation Street fans were left stunned after Gail Platt was hit with a heart attack leading to a near-fatal cardiac arrest on Wednesday (October 23). In high-stakes scenes, medical professionals were able to save Gail by performing a stent insertion to clear a blocked artery.

While Gail has made it through this harrowing experience, fans are aware that the iconic character will be departing Weatherfield by year's end. The decision for her exit from the ITV favourite follows Helen Worth's choice to take a step back from the role she has portrayed for a staggering five decades.

Helen Worth, 73, confirmed her departure earlier in June, expressing: "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. I made the decision at the start of the year and spoke to the producers, who were very kind and understanding."

The celebrated actor further stated, "I have been truly blessed to have been given the most incredible scripts week in and 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."

Known at birth as Cathryn Helen Wigglesworth, Helen grew up in Morecambe, Lancashire, before taking on her middle name for her professional career, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Famed for her portrayal of Gail in Coronation Street, Helen began her illustrious soap career three years after the devastating loss of her mother in a hit-and-run incident when she was just 20. Recounting her sorrow to the Daily Star, Helen shared: "The one person I really wanted to tell when I got the part of Gail was my mother.

"She would have been so thrilled. More excited than me. She'd been there all the way - at the dance classes, holding my hand before the competitions, putting on her best suit to take me to London for auditions. But when I finally made it, she wasn't there to share it with me. I'd never missed her more."

Gail and Audrey Roberts (played by Sue Nicholls) are recognised as one of the most iconic mother-daughter pairs in soap history. They are often at the heart of major Coronation Street plotlines.

Since taking on the role of Gail in 1974, Helen has depicted a character who's navigated through an array of dramatic events, including numerous marriages, her daughter Sarah's teenage pregnancy, intense rivalries, and even a romance with a serial killer.

Beyond the cobbles, Helen has graced television screens in Doctor Who's 'Colony in Space', 'The Doctors', 'Helen: A Woman of Today', 'Within These Walls', and 'The Carnforth Practice'.

While Helen is known for maintaining privacy around her family life, she encountered a highly publicised ordeal in 1995 when news of her first husband's affair hit the headlines.

Opening up about the devastating discovery of her husband's affair in 2001, she revealed to The Mirror: "Nothing can ever prepare you for the day your husband sits you down and tells you he is having an affair."

She described the impact on her life, saying: "My marriage was everything to me. It was the foundation on which everything else was built. I had been with Michael for nearly half of my life. I never imagined that we wouldn't grow old together. When he told me, everything just went black.

"Things started to make sense. Maybe I realised right away that something like that had been bound to happen. Things hadn't been right for some time, but—naively maybe—I didn't think it was serious."

Reflecting on how she was informed about the affair, she added: "The pictures were about to be published, and he knew he had to tell me fast," and shared her turmoil, stating, "He just said he was having an affair. I went through every emotion. I was hurt. Then angry. So angry. I tried to tell myself it wasn't happening."

After enduring a period of single life, Helen found happiness again with Trevor Dawson, a deputy head teacher seven years younger than her. They met at a mutual friend's 90th birthday celebration and experienced what she called 'love at first sight'.

In a heartwarming admission during a 2016 interview with the Mirror, Trevor, clearly besotted, professed not only his love for Helen but also his fondness for Coronation Street, sharing, "We watch the show together. I had always been a fan going back some years. I used to watch it with my mum. Of course, Gail was my favourite."

Helen and Trevor tied the knot at St James's Church in London in 2012, after more than a year of keeping their relationship out of the public eye. Their wedding was a star-studded affair, with numerous Coronation Street celebrities in attendance.

As they emerged from the ceremony, nearly 200 elated fans were on hand to cheer for Helen, delighted to witness her happiness. Helen was overwhelmed by the occasion, saying: "It's been the most fantastic day, it has exceeded all expectations. We are thrilled that so many of our friends and family could be here to celebrate with us."

In contrast to her on-screen persona, Helen does not have children, opting instead to focus on her acting career, which started in the 1960s.

Last year, Helen was recognised for her services to drama when she received an MBE from the Prince of Wales. This commemorates nearly five decades in soap operas. Rumours now suggest she might soon be leaving the show.

Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV and ITVX