Coronation Street's Helen Worth seen for first time since announcing exit as co-stars heartbroken

Coronation Street star Helen Worth has been seen for the first time since announcing she'll be steeping back from her long-running role. It was announced on Wednesday (June 5) that the actress will be quitting the soap next month as Gail Platt amid a major milestone.

The acting legend Helen joined the ITV soap at 23 years old in 1979, which was 14 years after viewers were first introduced to the people of Weatherfield. She will soon mark five decades of playing the Platt matriarch who over the years has endured a number of failed romances, prison time, near-death experiences, drama with her children and recently found out her brother was a serial killer.

However, as Helen marks her major soap milestone, she will also be looking forward to a very different future, as she has made the difficult decision to step down from her much-loved role at the end of the year.

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It's been confirmed that the soap icon, 73, will start filming her exit story next month and the emotional scenes will be on screen at the end of the year.

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, directors and a brilliant crew. The past 50 years have flown by and