Coronation street fans have been worried that Gary Windass might die after he went missing and then appeared in hospital badly wounded from almost being beaten to death

Coronation street fans were concerned that Gary Windass was a goner when he disappeared from the cobbles

Coronation Street star Mikey North has signed a new contract to continue playing Gary Windass, putting to rest fans’ fears that his character could be killed off after a dramatic disappearance from the ITV soap.

The actor, who first joined the cobbles in 2008, is now set to mark his 18th year in Weatherfield. Viewers had grown worried in recent months when Gary vanished from the show without explanation, sparking speculation online that Mikey might be leaving the series for good.

However, after a long absence from screens, Gary has finally returned as part of a gripping new storyline, and it seems there’s plenty more drama waiting for him.

Those fears have now been quelled with the revelation that Mikey North has signed a new contract with the soap(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

A source told The Sun : “Mikey loves working at Coronation Street and bosses love having him so it was a no brainer for him to sign for another year recently.

“Gary’s got a huge year coming up and it’s all just kicked off on-screen and it’s just the beginning. There’s going to be a lot of Mikey on screens in the coming months.”

Gary’s latest storyline has already left fans on edge. The character disappeared after clashing with his wife Maria, unaware that Lou, who has a grudge against Maria, was manipulating events behind the scenes.

Lou framed Gary for an affair, leading him to storm out and stay with his mother, Anna Windass. But when Maria discovered Gary had left Anna’s and headed home only to never turn up, panic set in.

Viewers soon discovered Gary’s shocking fate. The troubled character has been lying in a coma in hospital after being brutally attacked and left for dead.

In a bizarre turn, a mystery woman claiming to be his wife and calling him Chesney has been posing as his next of kin, keeping his true identity hidden from the police and medical staff.

The mystery is due to unravel next week, with spoilers hinting at big revelations about who assaulted Gary and why. But many fans believe they’ve already cracked the case.

Last week it was revealed that while Gary was missing, someone had been using his phone to send fake messages pretending he was fine.

Meanwhile, Nina Lucas and Summer Spellman were haunted by memories of a man they saw injured while they were high on LSD. Nina confessed she’d shoved a man in fear, and the show cut to scenes of Gary lying unconscious in hospital.

Some fans suspect Summer may know more than she’s admitting. Others have pointed fingers at Brody Michaelis or his mother Lou, especially after Lou’s recent scheme against Maria. There’s even speculation that Mick, Brody’s father and a prison inmate, could have orchestrated the attack from behind bars.

As one fan took to the internet, theorising: “Lou is texting Maria. I’d say Lou and/or Brody brought Gary to the hospital themselves and told the nurses they were related.” Another viewer wrote: “I hadn’t thought about Mick — good point. He was annoyed she’d been hanging out with him.”