Coronation Street boasts Britain's longest-serving soap stars - including Helen Worth, 73, who's quitting after 50 years READ MORE: Coronation Street's Sally Dynevor leads tributes to 'wonderful' co-star Helen Worth after the soap legend announced she's quit the show By Jessica Green For Mailonline Published: 16:12, 6 June 2024 | Updated: 17:26, 6 June 2024 e-mail 21 View comments Coronation Street is officially the longest running TV soap in the world - despite the fact that it was only supposed to air for 13 weeks. So it's no wonder that the ITV drama boasts seven of the ten longest-serving British soap stars - including Helen Worth, who announced on Wednesday she would be leaving the show after playing Gail Platt for 50 years. Half a century after she first walked onto the cobbles, viewers will reportedly see Helen, 73, bid farewell to the street in a major storyline for the her family.
She's one of the top three longest-serving soap stars, after William Roache, 92, who debuted on Corrie as Ken Barlow in the very first episode, and the street's Rita Tanner, who's been played by Barbara Knox continuously since 1972. Here, FEMAIL reveals the ten longest-serving British soap stars..
. WILLIAM ROACHE (KEN BARLOW): 54 YEARS Bill Roache has played Ken Barlow on the ITV soap since it debuted back in 1960 (pictured left). Pictured right, Bill playing the character Ken in March 2024 Bill Roache has played Ken Barlow on the ITV soap since it debuted back in 1960 when he was paid just.
