Coronation Street's Gail Platt star Helen Worth's family tragedy, famous ex and reason for soap exit after 50 years

After an incredible 50 years, Helen Worth is officially waving goodbye to Coronation Street as Gail Platt decides to leave Weatherfield, and her often difunctional family, behind.

While fans have got to tune in to the ITV soap on Christmas Day to see if Gail gets her happily ever after with her sixth husband - after her seventh wedding - what we do know is that the warring Platt family won't make things easy and they're set to be at the forefront of what's to come in the new year.

News of Helen's exit from Corrie after 50 years of playing Gail came as a shock over the summer. She made her first appearance on Corrie at the age of 23 in 1974, 14 years after the viewers were first introduced to the people of Weatherfield.

The role of Gail was initially intended to be very minor, a friend of the more established character Tricia Hopkins, who was introduced as part of a new family. While they were written out of the show, Gail, the daughter of Audrey Roberts and Ted Page, remained.

In those following 50 years, Gail has faced her fair share of joy, drama, and near-death experiences! She is somewhat of a sucker for love, having been married six times but she's also almost been killed by one of partners - who can forget that famous Richard Hillman crash?

Confirming the reason behind her exit, Helen said in a statement: "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."

She added: "I have been truly blessed to have been given the most incredible scripts week in week out, and to have worked with fantastic actors,