Good Morning Britain’s Ed Balls has revealed he used to have a secret crush on Corrie’s Gail Platt.
The TV presenter, 57, was discussing actress Helen Worth’s decision to leave the ITV soap on Thursday’s GMB.
The actress has played Gail Platt on the ITV programme for 50 years, but will bow out in a dramatic new storyline that will conclude at the end of the year.
Ed’s co-host Charlotte Hawkins said: ‘It is the end of an era’
Ed jumped in and shocked viewers by admitting: ‘I mean, growing up in the 70s and 80s, my big heartthrob was Gail. But then she married Brian, I couldn’t believe it! I was so upset.’
Good Morning Britain’s Ed Balls has revealed he used to have a secret crush on Corrie’s Gail Platt
The TV presenter, 57, was discussing actress Helen Worth’s decision to leave the ITV soap on Thursday’s GMB
He added: ’50 years, it is just astonishing isn’t it?’
Half a century after she first walked onto the cobbles, viewers will see Helen bid farewell to the street in a major storyline for the her family.
It’s thought her son Nick Tilsley (Ben Price), daughter Sarah Platt ( Tina O’Brien ), son David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd), granddaughter Bethany Platt ( Lucy Fallon ) and mother Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) will all be involved.
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.
Helen has been at the centre of an array of explosive storylines, including her daughter Sarah’s 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 in a 2003 episode when she found out her husband Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) was a serial killer.
Helen will start filming her exit story next month and the emotional scenes will be on screen at the end of the year.
Helen said in a statement on Wednesday: ‘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.
Ed shocked viewers by admitting: ‘I mean, growing up in the 70s and 80s, my big heartthrob was Gail. But then she married Brian, I couldn’t believe it! I was so upset.’
The actress has played Gail Platt on the ITV programme for 50 years, but will bow out in a dramatic new storyline that will conclude at the end of the year
One of her most iconic moment came when she was nearly drowned by her killer husband Richard Hillman
One of her more groundbreaking plots came when Gail’s teenage daughter Sarah Platt fell pregnant at the age of 13
‘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 added: ‘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! 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.’
‘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.’
In her nearly 50-year stint on the soap, she has been married five times (pictured with Phil Nail played by Clive Russell)
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
Viewers will see Helen bid farewell to the street in a major storyline for the her family, which includes son son David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd)
‘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.’
While her exit storyline has been kept top secret some fans have speculated Gail will be killed off in her final episode, citing the character’s 2021 heart attack.
The storyline three years ago saw Gail suffering a minor heart attack after getting into a row with her son David Platt.
Helen made her debut as a young Gail on 29 July 1974, and was soon followed by her despairing mother Audrey (played by Sue Nicholls).
