Coronation Street’s Gail Rodwell played by Helen Worth is to have a heart attack in Wednesday’s episode.
The programme, which will air on ITV1 at 8pm, comes after Worth, 73, announced she would be leaving the soap after 50 years in the role of Gail at the centre of the Platt family.
It will see Carla Connor tell Gail’s son David and his partner Shona that she has made on offer on their house.
Jesse returned to Weatherfield, after having a brief romance with Gail when the two were in Thailand, and decided to visit her after hearing about the challenges of Gail’s granddaughter Bethany’s Turkish cosmetic surgery.
As Jesse hunts for Gail’s granddaughter Lily’s bicycle pump he is shocked by what he finds, but his curiosity disappears when he notices Gail breathing unsteadily and clutching her arm, and phones an ambulance.
David, Sarah and Nick, the oldest of Gail’s children, then arrive on the street as she is taken away in an ambulance, and David and Sarah blame themselves for starting the row with Jesse.
It comes after Worth’s exit storyline was thrown into uncertainty after Sean Wilson – who played her ex-husband Martin Platt – announced his departure from the soap for “personal reasons”.
The 59-year-old last appeared on the cobbles six years ago and was set to reappear on screen this month as part of Worth’s departure.
When asked about a potential new replacement storyline, an ITV spokesperson said: “Sean Wilson has stepped down from filming for personal reasons.”
The broadcaster said it would not be commenting further on the situation, after previously saying Worth would leave following a “major storyline for the Platt family”.