[Smithy]

Helen Worth has revealed that she thought she was being written out of Coronation Street when she learned that her character was to be charged with murder.

The 59-year-old actress, who has played the soap's Gail McIntyre since 1974, said she was "very pleased" to discover her future is secure, regardless of what happens at the trial.

Worth told the Sunday Mirror that she was "genuinely anxious" when the plotline was revealed. "I wasn't shocked, because it can happen to an actor at any time. But I was very pleased when I found out that whatever happens at Gail's trial, I will be staying in the show," she said.

The storyline sees Gail being framed for the murder of her husband Joe McIntyre by former neighbour Tracy Barlow

Gail will be arrested at Joe's wake at the Rovers Return and is sent to prison to await trial. Filming of the prison scenes, which took place at Styal Women’s Prison in Cheshire, was a sobering experience for Worth.

"I'd never been inside a prison before and we filmed on the remand block. On remand you are presumably innocent until proven guilty, yet you are behind a locked door in a real prison and treated as a prisoner," she said, adding that her character has the backing of the inmates.

"They were shouting out, 'Free Gail! Free Gail!' when they saw me. They all watched Coronation Street and were very *interested in what we were *doing," she said.

Worth initially joined the soap for six weeks and said that she has no plans to leave.