Leah King, one of the newborn twin sisters who originally portrayed the infant Sarah Platt on Coronation Street, died in May 1987 at six months of age from cot death. Her passing came just months after her debut on the soap.
Death and funeral
According to contemporary reports, Leah succumbed to cot death in May 1987 at six months old. Cast members, including Helen Worth (who plays Gail Platt), paid their respects at Leah’s funeral service, which was held at Butler Street Methodist Church in Manchester.
Role on Coronation Street and immediate aftermath
The programme had cast newborn twin sisters Leah and Lynsay King to play the infant Sarah Platt — a common practice for infant characters. After Leah’s death, Lynsay continued in the role until 1999, leaving the series shortly before her 13th birthday. Tina O’Brien later took over the character in 1999 and has since been closely associated with Sarah Platt.
Later reflections from Lynsay King
In later interviews Lynsay spoke about the difficulties she faced after her time on the soap. She told the Mirror in 2004 that she had suffered bullying at school because of her Corrie fame, saying, “It was horrible. Today I feel sad that I let bullies drive me out but at primary school no one would let me join in any of their games.” She also expressed regret about leaving acting, adding that watching Tina O’Brien play Sarah made her feel “weird” and that she would “love to act again.”
Lynsay returned to Weatherfield in 2004 to take part in a documentary, The Kids From Coronation Street, where she met Tina O’Brien for the first time during the visit.
Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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