Coronation Street favourite Helen Worth has signed a new one-year contract on the show worth a whopping £250,000, according to repots.
The soap legend, 73, who has played Gail Platt in the show since 1974, has been at the centre of many explosive storylines.
The soap has been suffering a ‘rocky patch’, a source told The Sun – following a drop in its Christmas viewing figures, which saw it fail to make it into the top 10 most viewed shows.
But ‘dedicated’ Helen, who is said to receive £2,500 per episode, has reportedly signed a new one-year deal in a boost for the soap.
‘Helen is dedicated to the soap and is determined to help steer it through a rocky patch,’ the source said.
Coronation Street favourite Helen Worth has signed a new one-year contract on the show, worth a whopping £250,000
One of her more groundbreaking plots came when Gail’s teenage daughter Sarah Platt fell pregnant at the age of 13
The source went on to say that Helen is bonded to the character of Gail and is excited about the dramatic storylines to come over the next year.
‘She still enjoys her work and seeing her castmates and crew every day,’ the source added.
MailOnline has contacted ITV and Helen’s representatives for comment.
The Platts have been a staple of the show for a long time, but viewings figures have declined.
The Christmas Day episode was viewed by 2.6million – down almost three quarters from 10 years ago.
In December, it was reported ITV bosses are discussing a major shake-up of its soaps which could see them screened first, or exclusively, through online streaming.
The move has been prompted by declining viewing figures, forcing budget cuts to Coronation Street and Emmerdale, say ITV sources.
Anxious bosses are desperately looking at how they can attract a new audience, as even their older viewers are watching less terrestrial TV in favour of streaming giants such as Netflix.
An ITV insider said: ‘Soaps don’t make as much advertising money as they used to.
The Ossett-born actress who has played Gail Platt on the soap since 1974, collected her honour from The Prince Of Wales on Wednesday
‘There are some chiefs looking enviously at all the consumer-themed documentaries Channel 5 makes and thinking that there could be better commercial opportunities in that kind of programming and using the slots allocated to the soaps for those.
‘Corrie and Emmerdale are losing viewers at a drop of around ten per cent on last year.
‘Budgets have already been cut on both shows and it is hard to see how they can sustain so many episodes.’
Helen was awarded an MBE for services to drama at Windsor Castle in January 2023, largely down to playing Gail.
Heading to the Castle collect her honour, Helen couldn’t contain her delight as she spoke to Prince William.
She said: ‘To have had a job and one that I love, and to be able to work in it is quite extraordinary. And then to get an award for it is just the icing on the cake.
‘I have a little time off to begin with but I will walk in with my medal the day I do.
‘There are quite a few medals scattered around the cast. They’ve all already been given them. I’m bringing up the rear really.’
Helen made her debut as a young Gail in the 1970s, and was soon followed by her despairing mother Audrey (played by Sue Nicholls).
One of her most iconic moment came when she was nearly drowned by her killer husband Richard Hillman
More recently, Gail has been dealing with the fallout of her grandson Max’s grooming at the hands of far-right extremists, to the despair of her son David
In her nearly 50-year stint on the soap, she has been married five times, including Brian Tilsey (Christopher Quinten), who was tragically stabbed to death, and Martin Platt (Sean Wilson), one of the soap’s long-serving characters.
While she has been at the centre of numerous hard-hitting storylines, including her daughter Sarah’s (Tina O’Brien) teenage pregnancy, and the death of her fourth debt-ridden husband Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale) during a failed life insurance scheme.
One of Gail’s most iconic moments came when she featured in a two-hander episode with her husband Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) in 2003, after learning that he was a serial killer.
The famous episode, which featured a slew of one-liners, saw Richard confess he had killed several people on the cobbles, including Maxine Peacock.
It all culminated in a famous 2003 episode when Richard attempted to end his own life, and the Platts, by driving their car into a canal, and he sadly drowned while the rest of them were rescued.
