Coronation Street's Jodie Prenger addresses icon's future on the soap after being left 'gutted' by news

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Coronation Street star Jodie Prenger has addressed fans' fears that another icon could end up leaving the soap as she said she was 'gutted' by the news of Helen Worth's exit.

It was confirmed that Helen will stop playing the ITV soap's Gail Platt at the end of the year. The acting legend joined the show at 23 years old in 1974, which was 14 years after viewers were first introduced to the people of Weatherfield.

She will soon mark five decades of playing the Platt matriarch who over the years has endured a number of failed romances, prison time, near-death experiences, drama with her children and recently found out her brother was a serial killer.

However, as Helen marks her major soap milestone, she will also be looking forward to a very different future, as she has made the difficult decision to step down from her much-loved role at the end of the year as it was confirmed that the the 73-year-old will start filming her exit story next month and the emotional scenes will be on screen at the end of the year. READ MORE: Coronation Street's Lisa George 'thrilled' as she announces move after being seen with soap legend READ MORE: Read more of our Coronation Street stories here Speaking at the Tric (Television and Radio Industries Club) Awards on Tuesday (June 25), which took place at Grosvenor House in London, Jodie, who plays Corrie's Glenda Shuttleworth, was asked about her colleague's imminent exit to which the actress and singer said she was "really, really gutted" upon hearing the news.