The iconic actress will be bowing out of the ITV soap by the end of the year after 50 years of portraying the icon that is Gail Platt.

Coronation Street star Lucy Fallon has revealed how she found out about co-star Helen Worth’s upcoming exit from the show. It was announced in June that the actress will be bowing out of the ITV soap by the end of the year after 50 years of portraying the icon that is Gail Platt.

The fan-favourite character will be making her departure from Weatherfield before the end of 2024 having been a mainstay on the show since Helen, 73, made her debut in 1974.

Bosses have revealed Platt matriarch Gail will be given a “happy ending” when she leaves the cobbled streets of Weatherfield behind – so Corrie fans need not fear she’s being killed off. But her exit will leave a trail of “explosive drama” for the rest of her family.

Sharing how she feels about Helen leaving and how she discovered the news of her exit, Lucy, who plays on-screen granddaughter Bethany Platt, told The Sun’s Fabulous magazine: “Helen Worth is the best. I do feel sad. When I first joined the show at 19, she was the one who told me to always be nice to everybody, from the make-up girls to the cleaners, because you never know who says what to other people.

“And, obviously, I am nice anyway! But she always gave me good advice. And I think for somebody who has been in a show for 50 years and is super-famous – everybody knows who Gail Platt is – she is so humble and just a very nice, calm person.

“She let her on-screen children – played by Tina, Jack P. Shepherd and Ben Price – know first, and asked them to ‘tell the grandchildren’, so Tina told me.”

SHe added: “It’s going to be a massive shift in terms of her being the matriarch of the Platt family. I don’t know what it’s going to be like without her. Tina will have to step up! Even though it is really sad, I feel like Helen has definitely made the right decision for her. She lives in London and commutes to the set. It’s a lot and she’s been there for 50 years. She deserves to retire and chill with her husband.”

It comes after ITV’s executive producer for continuing drama Iain MacLeod teased what’s to come for Gail and the rest of the Platt family following the shock exit news. He told Daily Star’s Hot TV columm: “Gail won’t die. It didn’t feel like killing her off would be right.” Gail’s exit is a brilliant story. I thought, ‘What do the viewers want to see?’”

He added: “Gail has had a hard life. She had a difficult childhood and she disastrous marriages. So, we though what viewers really want is a happy ending for her, so that what we’re doing.”

The soap boss said Helen – who is due to start filming her final scenes in the coming weeks – had given the exit storyline her seal of approval. He continued: “Helen loves the storyline. Recently, she described it by saying, ‘It’s the perfect ending for Gail’, so I can sleep soundly at night. You don’t want to inflict an ending on someone after 50 years that they’re not happy with.”

Iain teased the character’s departure from Weatherfield will send a major shockwave through her family, including daughter Sarah Barlow. He explained: “Gail’s happy ending will be part of loads of other drama for the rest of the Platt family. It will be a catalyst for some explosive drama with betrayals and twists. Her departure will leave something in its wake.”