Coronation Street bosses have teased what they have in store for when Weatherfield staple Gail Platt bids farewell to the cobbles later this year.

Last month, soap veteran Helen Worth announced she was stepping down from the long-running ITV show after 50 years of playing Gail.

Since then, speculation has been rife about the nature of her exit, with Corrie boss Iain MacLeod insisting the character will be given a “happy ending”.

“It didn’t feel like killing her off would be right,” he told the Daily Star. “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] disastrous marriages. So, we thought what viewers really want is a happy ending for her, so that’s what we’re doing.”

The Sun previously claimed that Gail’s departure would involve the return of her ex-husband, Martin Platt, the father of her youngest son David.

And on Wednesday morning, ITV confirmed that actor Sean Wilson would be reprising his role as Martin as part of Gail’s exit storyline.

Sean said: “We’ll have a few months to catch up with Martin and Gail again, following the ebbs and flows of the unfolding storyline.

“Playing Martin has been a joy since day one and in a way, I’ll be slipping back to where I left off, which no doubt will throw a spanner into the heart of the Platt family. It’s just like slipping on an old and comfortable jumper from the back of the wardrobe – I’m looking forward to reuniting with my TV family.”

Helen Worth previously said of her decision to leave Coronation Street: “This year felt like the perfect time to leave the show after celebrating 50 years in the most wonderful job on the most wonderful street in the world,” she said.

“I made the decision at the start of the year and spoke to the producers who were very kind and understanding. I have been truly blessed to have been given the most incredible scripts week in week out, and to have worked with fantastic actors, directors and a brilliant crew.”

Over the course of the last five decades, Corrie viewers have seen Gail at the centre of numerous huge plotlines, most notably her daughter Sarah-Louise’s teenage pregnancy, an attempted murder attempt by her ex-husband Richard Hillman and her Tudor-esque six marriages.

In 2014, Helen was honoured with an Outstanding Contribution prize at the National Television Awards, which coincided with the 40th anniversary of her time on Corrie.

She was also recognised with an MBE last year for her services to drama.

This article has been amended to correct the name of Gail’s third husband.