Helen Worth

Infobox actor
name = Helen Worth


imagesize =
caption =
birthname = Cathryn Helen Wigglesworth
birthdate = birth date and age|1951|1|7|df=yes
birthplace = Ossett, Wakefield, Yorkshire, England
deathdate =
deathplace =
occupation = Actor
yearsactive = 1969-present
spouse = Michael Angelis (1991-2001)

Cathryn Helen Wigglesworth (born 7 January, 1951) is an English actress.

She is probably best known for her role as Gail Platt in the British drama "Coronation Street", since 1974 and is now one of the longest running cast members.

Early life

Worth was born to parents Alfred and Gladys Wigglesworth in Ossett, Wakefield, Yorkshire, and grew up in Morecambe, Lancashire, where her parents ran a small seafront hotel. She was brought up in a middle class family and attended private school.cite web | url = http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20000507/ai_n14506436 | title= Long-lost secret brother of Coronation Street star Helen | publisher = Sunday Mirror | author = Rimmer, Alan| date = 2000-05-07 | accessdate=2007-04-10] At the age of eight her parents fostered Ghanaian born Wilson Kpikpitse. Kpikpitse — sent to Britain as an overseas student at the age of eleven — remained with the family for eight years, but moved on following the death of Worth's mother, who was killed in a hit-and-run road accident while she was on a visit to Brighton.

Worth's grandmother lived in Bradford and ran a boarding house for music-hall stars, which prompted her desire to perform. She took dance lessons from the age of three, and took part in many school theatrical productions. At the age of ten, she read stories on Granada TV's "Scene at 6.30", and appeared in an episode of BBC's "Z-Cars". At the age of twelve she played one of the von Trapp children in a stage production of "The Sound of Music", at the Palace Theatre in London, a role that kept her in London for nine months. Following this she returned to Morecambe to finish her education and later attended the Corona Stage Academy in London.

Career

After graduating from drama school, Worth worked in repertory theatre, which included a year with the BBC Radio repertory company. She has had roles in films such as "Oliver!" and "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (1969), and has appeared on television in "Doctor Who" story "Colony in Space" (1971), "The Doctors", "Helen: A Woman of Today" (1973), "Within These Walls" (1974) and "The Canforth Practice" (1974).

She joined "Coronation Street" in 1974 and has been with the soap ever since. Since arriving on the Street as Gail Potter, Worth's character has married four times, has had three children and has been involved in some of the soap's biggest storylines, including a marriage to the serial killer, Richard Hillman, who at one stage attempted to kill her entire family.

In September 2006 Helen Worth was honoured with an Outstanding Achievement award at the Inside Soap Awards for her performance as Gail in "Coronation Street", a role she has played for over 30 years.cite web | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5380486.stm | title= Rival soaps tie on awards night | publisher = BBC | author = Rimmer, Alan| date = 2006-09-26 | accessdate=2007-04-10]

Personal life

Worth lives in Cheshire and also has a flat in London. She married actor Michael Angelis in 1991, and had previously lived with him for several years. Worth forgave Angelis when he admitted to an affair in 1995,cite web | url = http://www.mirror.co.uk/catchall/tm_method=full%26objectid=13502567%26siteid=89520-name_page.html | title= STAR'S EX TO MARRY HIS LOVER | publisher = The Mirror | author = Cummins, Fiona| date = 2003-11-11 | accessdate=2007-04-10] but they split in 2001 after he strayed again with model, Jennifer Khalastchi.cite web | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20010318/ai_n14521525 | title= Gail force loving blows away hurt of cheating | publisher = Sunday Mirror | author = Malone, Carole| date = 2001-03-18 | accessdate=2007-04-10] Following this Worth began dating London restaurant owner Simon Hopkinson.

Worth is a patron of the Born Free Foundation, an international wildlife charity working throughout the world to stop individual wild animal suffering and protect threatened species in the wild. She appears on television fronting campaigns and joined them at the House of Commons in 2006 to speak about the proposed changes to the Animal Welfare Bill and campaign for the retirement of Anne, the UK’s last remaining circus elephant.cite web | url = http://www.bornfree.org.uk/who-we-work-with/celebrity-supporters/helen-worth/ | title= Helen Worth - Born Free | publisher = Born Free | author = | date = | accessdate=2007-04-10]

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0941680|name=Helen Worth
* [http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/soaps/coronation_street/whos_who/jack_duckworth What's on TV profile]