Coronation Street fans divided on Gail’s soap exit after 50 years as Helen Worth breaks silence

Coronation Street has bid a final farewell to Gail Platt/Rodwell after an incredible 50 years, but ITV viewers have mixed feelings about her exit. Helen Worth made her emotional departure from the soap in a heartwarming Christmas Day episode that saw Gail finally find her happily ever after.

She tied the knot with Jesse Chadwick (played by John Thomson) and bid farewell to her loved ones. After a terrifying dream where her deceased serial killer ex-husband Richard Hillman tried to sabotage her wedding, Gail realised she wanted nothing more than to become Mrs Chadwick and start afresh in France, reports the Mirror.

However, not all viewers were thrilled with Gail’s fairytale ending. One disgruntled fan took to X, formerly Twitter, to vent: “@itvcorrie pretty poor show today,” adding, “Felt like Gail was a background character in her own exit storyline. Pairing her off with that a gormless extra she shared no chemistry with was a disgrace to a character of 50 years #corrie.”

Another viewer echoed these sentiments and wrote: “They’ve messed up this Gail exit storyline so bad…Helen Worth is “worth” so much more after 50 years… #corrie @itvcorrie.” A third chimed in with: “Watching Gail’s last episode of Corrie and it was a joke minus Richard Hillmans cameo. It was the equivalent of leaving a Job and them not bothering getting you a gift. Surely it needs revamped? #Coronationstreet #Corrie.”

However, some fans thought Gail’s farewell was a fitting end for the much-loved soap legend. “A brilliant Christmas episode of #Corrie tonight,” one fan commented. “A really good mix of comedy, Drama Catfight and emotion. Goodbye Gail and a huge congratulations to Helen Worth on 50 years of Coronation Street.”

The episode was available to view on ITVX from 7am Christmas Day before being shown at 7pm on ITV1. One viewer who chose to watch early tweeted: “Watched todays episode of #Corrie and you will need tissues as its Gail’s final episode. Helen Worth has been incredible to watch as Gail Platt.”

Helen thanked viewers for “coming on the journey with me” as she bid farewell to her Coronation Street character, Gail, after 50 years on the cobbles. The tears from her on-screen family were real as she was driven away down the cobbles, according to ITV.

In a heartfelt pre-recorded message, which showed the actress sitting in her family living room on set, the 73 year old expressed her gratitude to fans and colleagues alike. She said: “Hello, all of you. It’s wonderful to have this opportunity to say, ‘ta ta!’.

“It’s been a fabulous 50 years, and I just wanted to thank all of you, some of you who may have been watching for 50 years. Is there anybody? And those of you who’ve been watching for a few years. Thank you. Thanks for coming on the journey with me. I‘ve had a wonderful time. I’ve loved it all.

“All the stories, and of course, working with the wonderful Platts, which, for me, is what it’s all about. And there’ll be more Platt stories, and I hope you’ll be watching. Lots of love and thanks from me. Bye.”

It marks the end of 50 years of Gail, who had a tumultuous love life which was a central theme throughout her time on the show. Her first marriage to Brian Tilsley in 1979 ended in divorce after an affair, but they remarried in 1987, only for Brian to be tragically stabbed to death outside a nightclub.

Gail then found love with Martin Platt (portrayed by Sean Wilson) with whom she had a son, David, but their decade-long marriage crumbled in 2000 when Martin confessed to an affair. Helen’s exit storyline was briefly disrupted over the summer when Sean returned to the show before departing again due to “personal reasons”. Sean later claimed he was axed due to a historic assault allegation, which he vehemently denies. 

Gail’s next marriage was a rollercoaster ride as she tied the knot with Richard Hillman (played by Brian Capron). He turned out to be a con artist and serial killer who tried to murder Gail and her children by driving them into a canal. The Platts were saved, but Richard drowned, ending his reign of terror in 2003.

Gail took some time before jumping back into matrimony but found herself secretly dating Joe McIntyre, Tina’s dad who was seeing Gail’s son David. Their relationship was exposed, and they got hitched in 2010 after Joe (portrayed by Reece Dinsdale) sought help for his addiction to painkillers.

Their relationship also ended dramatically when Joe attempted to fake his own death for life insurance money but tragically drowned. Michael Rodwell (played by Les Dennis) became Gail’s fifth husband after they first crossed paths when he tried to rob her house.

They wed in 2015 but split due to disagreements over Michael’s son. Shortly after, Michael suffered a fatal heart attack in 2016.

Since joining the cobbles in July 1974, Helen’s character has been at the centre of many explosive storylines that have kept viewers on the edge of their seats, with her disastrous love life defining her character. In 2014, ITV paid tribute to the long-serving actress with a one-off special documentary titled ‘Gail and Me’, celebrating her 40 years on the soap.

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