Exclusive
CORRIE ON
Coronation Street legend signs ‘£250k’ deal in bid to help steer soap through ‘rocky patch’ with ‘s***e woke plots’
Plus the other famous names that have already abandoned the iconic soap
CORRIE legend Helen Worth has signed up for her 50th year, making her the second-longest cobbles star after Bill Roache.
The actress, 73, who has played Gail Platt since 1974, agreed to a new one-year contract, thought to be worth around £250,000.
1
Helen, who received an MBE last year, is believed to receive around £2,500 per episode.
It comes after ITV’s flagship soap failed to get in the top ten most-watched shows at Christmas.
A source close to the star said: “Helen is dedicated to the soap and is determined to help steer it through a rocky patch. She is bonded to her character and is excited about her upcoming storylines for the year ahead. She still enjoys her work and seeing her castmates and crew every day.”
Only Bill, who plays Ken Barlow, has been on the show longer. First appearing as Gail Potter, her character has been married six times — with every husband either dying, cheating or turning out to be a serial killer.
READ MORE CORRIE NEWS
Over the decades, the Platts have become a fundamental part of the show, with mum Audrey running the salon, while son David and daughter Sarah are often in major plots.
However Christmas viewing figures of 2.6 million are down almost three-quarters from a decade ago.
Meanwhile, several regulars are quitting including Lisa George (Beth Tinker), Chris Gascoyne (Peter Barlow), Alex Bain (Simon Barlow) and Peter Ash (Paul Foreman).
Charlie Lawson, who played Jim McDonald from 1989 to 2018, slammed its “s***e woke plots”.
Most read in Soaps
He told the Sun on Sunday: “There are at least two long-term cast members who aren’t happy. There is a feeling there are too many episodes and the production team don’t have time to give the attention to detail they did before. Viewers are getting turned off by too many young storylines.”
ITV declined to comment.
Topics