Helen Worth
Helen Worth, born Cathryn Helen Wigglesworth on 7 January 1951 in Ossett, England, is a British actress best known for playing Gail Platt on Coronation Street. She played the role from 1974 to 2024, with a guest appearance in 2025, making it one of the longest-running parts on the show.
She grew up in a middle-class family in Morecambe, Lancashire. After drama school, Worth worked in theatre and early TV/film parts, including uncredited roles in Oliver! (1968) and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969). She shortened her first name to Helen during The Sound of Music to avoid too prominent billing.
Worth joined Coronation Street in 1974 and has spoken about loving Gail’s storylines. A special ITV program, Gail & Me, aired in 2014 to mark 40 years in the role. In June 2024, ITV announced she would leave the show after 50 years; her final on-screen appearance aired on Christmas Day 2024. In January 2025, it was announced she might return for a big storyline, and she later agreed to a guest appearance in a Christmas Day episode in 2025.
Personal life: Worth married actor Michael Angelis in 1991; they divorced in 2001 after he had further affairs. She later married Trevor Dawson in 2013. She has a home in London.
Charity and causes: Worth is a patron of the Born Free Foundation and supports ActionAid. She has spoken about animal welfare in Parliament and worked to retire the UK’s last circus elephant, among other efforts.
Awards: Worth has earned several honors, including the Outstanding Achievement Awards at Inside Soap (2006) and the British Soap Awards (2014). She won the British Soap Award for Scene of the Year in 2019 for a monologue and has been nominated for a BAFTA TV Award.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 10:35 (CET).