Morag

On last night's episode, instead of the theme tune we all know and love, the Coronation Street credits cut to the sound of a flatlining heartbeat. This is the first time that the Coronation Street credits have been modified in the 64 years the soap has been broadcast on TV. The ad voiced by BHF ambassador and former Corrie actor Kimberly Hart-Simpson, came after heartbroken viewers found out one of the show's most iconic characters, Gail Platt, will be leaving the Weatherfield cobbles after 50 years. Gail suffered a heart attack before going onto have a cardiac arrest in hospital. She then underwent a lifesaving procedure to stent open the blocked coronary artery that caused the heart attack and to try to prevent any further heart attacks. Thanks to swift medical action Gail survived. The BHF funds £100 million of new cardiovascular research each year towards new tests and treatments that could help keep families like Gail's together for longer. Damion Mower, our Director of Brand, Acquisition and Retail Marketing added: "When Gail joined the Street in the 1960s more than seven out of ten heart attacks were fatal. Today, in part due to medical research funded by the BHF, more than seven out of ten people survive."