A FORMER Coronation Street star has teased a comeback to the show amid Gail Platt’s impending exit.
Kathy Jones played Gail’s best friend Tricia Hopkins for three years, spanning 1973 to 1976.
With Gail’s departure now imminent, Kathy hinted at a possible return for her character.
Taking to X, the actress wrote: “Oh heck what’s gone on? I’m here……just waiting for the call!”
The iconic Gail Platt character is set to leave the cobbles following actress Helen Worth’s decision to exit after 50 years.
Back in 1974, Gail was introduced as a new friend for Tricia, who’d debuted in the previous year.
At one point, they were work colleagues, flatmates and an inseparable pair.
Should Tricia return, it would be 48 years since the characters were last seen together on-screen.
Following news of Gail’s exit, producer Iain MacLeod confirmed the beloved character would receive a “happy ending”.
Speaking to the Daily Star, Iain revealed: “Gail won’t die. It didn’t feel like killing her off would be right. Gail’s exit is a brilliant story. I thought, ‘What do the viewers want to see?
“Gail has had a hard life. She had a difficult childhood and she disastrous marriages.
“So, we thought what viewers really want is a happy ending for her, so that what we’re doing.”
Originally, Gail’s final storyline included a returning Sean Wilson, who played Gail’s ex-husband Martin Platt regularly from 1985 to 2005.
However, The Sun previously revealed this is no longer the case.
John Thomson has been drafted in to reprise his role as Jesse Chadwick, who previously dated Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver).
Cold Feet and Fast Show star John, 55, will reportedly this time have a romance plotline with Gail.
Over the years the character of Gail Platt has been the centre of several major plots.
Here we take a look back over actress Helen Worth’s biggest storylines:
Teenage daughter’s pregnancy
One of Gail’s most controversial storylines was in 1999.
It came when her 13-year-old daughter Sarah became pregnant.
Multiple marriages
Gail holds the record for the series’ most married female character.
She has been wed a whopping six times, each one worse the last.
Married to a serial killer
One of Gail’s multiple marriages saw her wed Richard Hillman, who turned out to be a serial killer.
At the climax of the storyline, 19 million fans tuned in to watch Hillman drive his wife and her family into a canal.
Scrapping on The Street
Gail has proved over the years she can’t resist a good scrap.
Her most memorable bust-up saw her attack Eileen Grimshaw on the cobbles in 2004 while in her dressing gown.
Jail bird
In 2010, Gail found herself wrongly banged up in jail.
She was wrongfully arrested for murdering her 4th husband Joe McIntyre.
A source said of John’s return: “It’s been an absolutely frantic, incredibly stressful past couple of weeks for Corrie bosses and scriptwriters.
“So many new departure storylines for Gail were mooted but they were set on a love interest one – which proved tricky as she buried five of her six ex-husbands. And the remaining living one, Martin, was obviously axed in real life.
“They wanted a recognisable name and plumped for John as his character was popular with viewers and a real blast from the past.”
Coronation Street airs on ITV and is available to watch on ITVX.
