Corrie legend Alan Halsall has spilled on the emotional moment he found out about Helen Worth’s exit from the soap.

The Tyronne Dobbs actor was stunned to learn that after 50 fabulous years, Helen, who plays Gail Platt, would be leaving the ITV series.

Alan talked about the shock waves sent through the set, saying: “It came as a surprise to a lot of us. I know she said it to the people that are part of her family but it came as a surprise to a lot of us.

“Helen is one of the top three legends – like Bill Roache, Barbara Knox and Helen. They’re the matriarch and patriarchs of Coronation Street. To lose somebody like that – and for the show to lose someone like Gail, who has had some incredible stories over the year with her husbands, it will be a real loss for the show.”

Helen had earlier made waves with the announcement of her departure, feeling it was the perfect time to bid adieu after a legendary run. In her words: “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.”

This heartfelt piece was reported by the Mirror, capturing the bittersweet feelings swirling around the cobbles. The Coronation Street stalwart Helen Worth, who has portrayed the iconic Gail Platt for 50 years, stunned fans with her decision to leave the cobbles to pursue new adventures, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Helen expressed, “I made the decision at the start of the year and spoke to the producers who were very kind and understanding. 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.”

Executive Producer Iain MacLeod also had words of high praise: “The words ‘legend’ and ‘icon’ get used a lot these days but they genuinely do apply to Gail and to Helen Worth. However, given her humility, I know Helen won’t thank me for saying so! “.

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He continued, “In Helen’s hands, Gail has been a huge part of Coronation Street for five decades and at the centre of some of the most memorable storylines – often deriving from her catastrophically bad luck in choosing husbands! Her ill-fated marriage to Richard Hillman was one of the most ground-breaking stories in soap history and cemented Gail’s already established status as one of the Corrie greats.”

Wrapping up his glowing tribute, he said: “As the matriarch of the Platt clan, her affectionately prickly relationships with her kids and flighty mum Audrey epitomise what makes the show great: complicated family dynamics brought to life impeccably by Helen’s dramatic and comedic chops, alongside those of her fictional clan.

“Gail has given us countless hours of entertainment but it should also be said that Helen herself is a consummate professional and a thoroughly good egg. Everyone connected to the show will miss having her around the place just as much as the viewers will miss having her on their screens and we wish her all the very best for the future.”