Coronation Street Gail Platt star's famous ex husband and family tragedy

Gail Platt actress Helen Worth has confirmed she is about to quit Coronation Street.

The veteran character has appeared in the long-running soap since 1974. Gail has played a key part in some of Corrie's most turbulent storylines during her almost-50-years in Weatherfield.

The 73-year-old's stint at Number 8 started by exploring her rocky relationship with mum Audrey Roberts, who always prioritised her own social life. Coronation Street viewers have since watched Gail's journey into adulthood and her roller-coaster love life as she has been married six times.

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Gail's most famous storyline perhaps centred around her marriage to the evil Richard Hillman, who is regarded as one of the greatest villains in soap history. The character, played by Brian Capron, confessed to two murders before trying to drown Gail and her children in his dramatic exit in 2003.

Richard was the only character to die in the incident and Gail has since been married and widowed two more times. Gail is still a key character in Coronation Street to this date and acts as a matriarch figure to her two children and five grandkids.

Away from the screen, Helen has experienced tragedy as her mum was killed in a hit-and-run accident. According to the Daily Star, she spoke about how she was devastated her mum never got to see her in the iconic role as Gail.

She said: "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."

Helen has also experienced a rocky love life as she married actor Michael Angelis in 1991, who is most famous for being the narrator of Thomas the Tank Engine. Michael was raised in Dingle and also appeared in shows such as The Liver Birds, The Bill and Midsomer Murders.

The two had been dating since the mid 1970s and were married for 10 years, but it ended in divorce after Michael confessed to having two affairs. Michael died in 2020, aged 76.

Helen has since moved on and married second husband Trevor Dawson in 2013.

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