Coronation Street’s Julia Goulding has opened up about the pain of saying farewell to co-star Helen Worth, who makes her on-screen exit later this week.
The actress announced she’d quit her role as Gail Platt after 50 years in Weatherfield back in June.
Gail will be leaving the cobbles for pastures new on Christmas Day – although whether she goes through with her wedding to Jesse Chadwick (John Thomson) remains to be seen.
Juila, who plays Gail’s daughter-in-law Shona Platt, admitted that filming Gail’s final scenes was ‘horrendous and emotional on so many levels’.
Speaking to Metro, she said: ‘From my point of view, personally, I’ve not only worked with Helen for eight years, I’ve watched her since I can remember.
‘Gail has been part of my life since I started watching Corrie, the last eight years getting to know Helen as a person as well.
‘It was incredibly emotional.’
Julia also discussed the impact she thinks Gail’s exit will have on Shona, whose marriage to David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd) is on the rocks after she cheated on him with Kit Green (Jacob Roberts).
‘Gail has been a constant for Shona for sure,’ Julia said. ‘I think she’s feeling nervous. With Gail gone, it could expose a lot more goings on within the family.
‘She’s her support network, she’s always been on her side, which is odd for a daughter-in-law.’
Asked about the chances of Shona and David going on to become a ‘classic Corrie couple’ despite their current relationship problems, Julia admitted she ‘actually prefers it when they are struggling’.
She explained: ‘The drama is so much more fun to play.
‘It’s lovely and really nice that we’ve got such a big family unit. And the kids, you’ve got Harry, Sam and Lilly, it’s the new David, Sarah and Nick, the next generation. And also we’ve still got Sue [Nicholls, who plays Audrey Roberts] because she’s brilliant!’
