CORONATION Street stalwart Gail Chadwick is returning for the show’s festive special — exactly a year after she left the soap.

The popular character married Jesse Chadwick on the ITV1 show on Christmas Day 2024 before she departed Weatherfield to live in France.

But The Sun can reveal that Gail, played by Helen Worth, who first appeared on the cobbles as a teenager back in 1974, will be making a one-off appearance during this year’s festive episode.

A TV insider said: “Corrie bosses are keeping the exact details under wraps but it’s understood she takes the chance on Christmas Day to connect with the family.

“And it could be more timely as the Platts find themselves in yet another drama, one that they’ve had to deal with by themselves since the Platts’ matriarch moved abroad.

“It’s a move which is guaranteed to thrill soap fans, who wondered whether we’d ever catch a glimpse of show favourite Gail on the cobbles again.”

Helen, 74, has already recorded her comeback as Gail and it is ready to air, as most episodes of Corrie are filmed two months in advance.

Despite reservations about leaving her family behind, Gail had chosen to exit Weatherfield to live with her sixth husband Jesse, played by Cold Feet and The Fast Show star John Thomson, 56.

They married in the Viaduct Bistro — but the wedding was nearly called off when it was revealed that her husband-to-be was moving to the south of France to convert a villa using laundered money.

But at the last minute she agreed to tie the knot and in tearful scenes the couple drove off into the sunset, with many devotees speculating that she would return in the future and be reunited again with her children Nick, David and Sarah.

When she left Corrie, Helen posted a message on social media thanking fans for their support through her decades on the show, and added: “There’ll be more Platt stories, and I hope you’ll be watching.”