A new trailer has revealed that Gail Rodwell will plan to leave the cobbles of Coronation Street for France following a Christmas Day wedding.
The character, played by Helen Worth for 50 years prior to her departure this year, is set to marry Jesse Chadwick in the soap’s festive special, but ITV says she is unaware of secrets her offspring are keeping and “ticking time bombs” she is leaving behind.
The broadcaster also says “lies and betrayal” look set to destroy Gail’s son David Platt’s marriage with Shona, after she secretly slept with detective Kit Green, with David coming under pressure from the Radcliffe brothers to return money he stole.
Gail’s eldest son Nick is refusing to give up his “illicit” relationship with Toyah Habeeb, but her stepsister Leanne Battersby is determined to make them pay for betraying her and will hatch a plan to frame them both for fraud.
Gail’s daughter Sarah Platt is struggling to deal with the aftermath of her daughter Bethany’s botched cosmetic surgery, with Bethany’s boyfriend Daniel Osbourne set to propose.
Meanwhile, Gail’s adoptive grandson Max Turner is determined to stand by girlfriend Lauren Bolton, as she awaits her trial for the murder of Joel Deering.
ITV also says Gail is unaware of how much her mother Audrey Roberts is struggling with her daughter’s plans to leave her behind and jet off to a new life with Jesse, with the trailer showing Audrey saying “if you decide to marry that man, then you’ll never see me again”.
It comes after Worth’s exit storyline was thrown into uncertainty after Sean Wilson – who played her ex-husband Martin Platt – returned to the show briefly but announced his departure from the soap for “personal reasons”, with the actor later claiming he was axed when a historic assault allegation emerged, which he denies.
He was replaced by John Thomson’s character Jesse, with the 55-year-old actor claiming Worth was a “joy to work with”.