Coronation Street icon to return to soap this Christmas - a year on from emotional exit

Coronation Street legend Helen Worth is reprising her role as Gail Chadwick this Christmas – just one year on from what seemed to be a very finite exit story.

The actress played Gail for over 50 years, cementing the character as one of the ITV soap's most iconic. During that time, she was married seven times, imprisoned, faced off with her second husband's stalker and was driven into a canal by her third husband.

It was fitting that her very final storyline saw her walk down the aisle with Jesse Chadwick (John Thomson), before starting a new life in France.

With the Platts needing Gail more than ever – as son David (Jack P. Shepherd) and daughter-in-law Shona (Julia Goulding) deal with the news that their unborn daughter is seriously ill – Helen has filmed a small cameo that will air amid the festivities next month.

A source told The Sun: “Corrie bosses are keeping the exact details under wraps but it’s understood she takes the chance on Christmas Day to connect with the family.

“And it [couldn't] be more timely as the Platts find themselves in yet another drama, one that they’ve had to deal with by themselves since the Platts’ matriarch moved abroad.

“It’s a move which is guaranteed to thrill soap fans, who wondered whether we’d ever catch a glimpse of show favourite Gail on the cobbles again.”

RadioTimes.com understands the report to be true.

Discussing her exit at the time, Worth said: "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.

"Thanks for coming on the journey with me. I‘ve had a wonderful time. I’ve loved it all."

She added: "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."

Just days after her final scenes, then-Executive Producer Iain Macleod teased that, as the door had been left open, she may return down the line.

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