Helen Worth has played Gail Platt on Coronation Street for 50 years, and ITV has given a glimpse of her fiery Christmas Day departure

Gail Platt, who’s been a mainstay of Coronation Street since 1974, is leaving the show on Christmas Day – and glimpses of her final moments on the cobbles are alarming.

In a photo from the festive special, Gail – played by the lauded Helen Worth, 73 – seems to have lost her home to a fire. The large Platt household is shown with black ash stains on the brickwork, and all windows boarded up. In the snap from the Daily Mail the house looks empty and abandoned, with no suggestion of how Gail or her family fared during the blaze.

Coronation Street has given plenty of hints that Gail’s final episode will be a nail-biter, but the ITV show hasn’t given any specific details about what to expect. The episode will revolve around the beloved character’s wedding to Jesse Chadwick – and whether or not she’ll go through with the exchanging of rings at all.

Many of the Platts have already made their disapproval of Jesse clear, with Gail unsure about her plans to move to France with him. Gail’s family gathers for her wedding to Jesse, but no spoilers have been given about whether she decides to says her vows. The fan-favourite’s exit from the show is also a secret, with producers not revealing whether Gail’s departure is thanks to a happy ending or not.

Showrunners haven’t revealed whether Gail’s exit will mean a happy ending or a tragic loss on the cobbles – but it seems she’ll have to deal with the loss of her home alongside a wedding and family crises on Christmas Day (Image: ITV)

Helen’s exit from Corrie as Gail after five decades isn’t being overlooked, with showrunners teasing that she’ll be going out with a bang. Soap producer Kate divulged: “This is a story with the Platts at the heart of it, it’s really festive, basically it’s a story about family and how secrets impact and implode on a family, so there’s a lot of betrayals, lots of secrets are exposed during this episode and it will like classic Corrie with a bit of a twist.

“I think we’re all in need of a bit of escapism at the minute and we’ve had quite a dark but brilliant few months on the cobbles. The Christmas period for us is all about trying to tap into the family dynamics of the Platts, what makes people tick and ultimately trying to make sure that we give glorious Gail the exit that she deserves.”

The TV exec added: “She’s been such an icon on the street for such a long time – 50 years of television, which is amazing – and we can’t tell a story on Christmas Day about her exit without it feeling and being steeped in nostalgia, and there’s tons of nostalgia in this episode and hopefully people will be crying, they’ll be laughing, there’ll be gasps as people watching it go, ‘Oh my goodness, that’s just happened’ but yeah, old school Corrie but just with a real modern twist and I think people will really really enjoy it.”

Helen received the British Soap Award for Outstanding Achievement in 2014 thanks to her portrayal of Gail, and in 2022 she was awarded an MBE for her services to drama. The actress hasn’t shared any details about her post-Corrie plans, but did explain why it felt right to leave the show.

“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 said.

“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 I don’t think the fact that I am leaving has quite sunk in yet.”