As a teenager, she became friends with a girl called Cath who was similarly outcast amongst their peers. In January 2001, the Croppers were accepted as foster parents and received their first foster child: Jackie Mosley, who stayed for two weeks while her mother was in hospital. Hayley and Becky did have the occasional cross word. Later that year, they supported her when she had her miscarriages, and it was on Hayley's advice that the McDonalds turned to adoption. She agrees and they marry. It has been said that the character of Hayley Cropper deserves partial credit for bringing the issues faced by trans people to public attention in a sympathetic manner, rather than the sensationalist coverage that had previously existed. What can I text my friend to make her smile? Hayley Cropper was created in 1998. They later joined the Weatherfield Operatic Society together, with Hayley encouraging a terrified Roy to try for The Sound of Music with her. Hayley's hen night, planned by Becky, saw her blindfolded and led to the cafe, which had been transformed into a salsa bar, where Sean Tully had hired a friend to pose as a Latin lothario and salsa dance with Hayley. Later that week, Roy proposes to Hayley and she accepts. For Hayley's return to the programme some months later, a communication was established between the production team, including Julie Hesmondhalgh, and a trans advisor, Annie Wallace, associated with Press for Change, the transgender campaign and information group. With her troubled past, Becky's aggressive and thieving behaviour was a hard habit to break, but she was spurred on by her loyalty to the Croppers. Hayley and Sylvia go but is devastated when Roy tells everyone that she has pancreatic cancer. Hesmondhalgh: I was very excited to be involved in some action drama because that's not my normal place in the show, I'm usually behind a knicker machine or serving butties. Hayley's prognosis was devastating for the Croppers and their close friends, with Roy constantly fussing over her and trying to keep her from tiring herself. Hayley and Roy shared many interests and activities. One of the first things she did was to make a bucket list of everything she wanted to do before she died. Feeling Christian would have responded better if she had told him the truth in her own time, Hayley blamed Roy everything and went to stay with Becky, although once she'd calmed down she returned to Roy. Hayley Cropper (also Hayley Patterson) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Julie Hesmondhalgh. [2] Her final scenes were filmed on 18 November 2013 [3] and aired on 22 January 2014. The Lancashire-born actress, 42, admitted she has had "the most wonderful . This liaison continued for eighteen months. Hayley continued to work throughout, insisting on giving herself a sense of normality and asking Roy not to mention the word cancer in her presence. In particular, she never felt right in her body, especially after puberty which she described as "like sores breaking out". Les was so upset that he attempted suicide, and while driving him to hospital Dennis was killed in a car crash, devastating Janice. 27-year-old Julie Hesmondhalgh was born in Accrington, Lancashire. She returned in Episode 6950 on 17th November 2008. On being a woman playing the role: "I know a lot of the transsexual community were upset that it was a woman playing the part of Hayley, and not a transsexual. Coronation Street Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. Eventually Janice got fed up with Les and left him for Dennis Stringer. Whatever happens next I'll always be proudest of lovely Mrs Cropper. Tracy then announced to the entire congregation that her baby was in fact Steve's, and she never had sex with Roy at all. [8] She took maternity leave from the soap between 2000 and 2001 after the birth of her first daughter. Mike eventually caved in and re-hired Hayley. Hayley was alarmed at her friend's rapid deterioration and revealed to a stunned Roy that she wanted to end her own life when the cancer spread, before her morphine dosage was high enough to make her delirious. His relationship with Hayley started out platonically, meeting for the first time over dinner at Alma's flat. *Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, Fandom will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Sticky Post By On January 8, 2022 By On January 8, 2022 Roy couldn't believe that Hayley wanted to take herself away from him earlier than her illness dictated and refused to support her. The following month, Hayley was promoted to supervisor at the factory, with responsibility for quality control. Roy and Hayley are told that the operation if successful should last six hours. Daunted by the prospect of telling Christian the truth, Hayley immediately broke her promise to Roy by telling Christian that she was his aunt and that his dad Harold was dead. Roy organises a romantic dinner for their third wedding anniversary but Hayley is upset as she completely forgot. Following Hayley's confession to Roy that she was a transsexual on 27th February 1998, the Independent Television Commission received ten complaints that it wasn't suitable for a pre-watershed timeslot. In December 2011, when Tracy Barlow had a miscarriage which she claimed was caused by Becky pushing her down the stairs, Becky defiantly refused to take the blame, claiming that Tracy had lost the babies before the stairs incident and slipped down her staircase of her own accord. was hayley cropper a man in real life. In September, having recently become closer to thirteen-year-old Sarah Platt and become godmother of her daughter Bethany, Hayley's thoughts turned to children and she suggested to Roy that they adopt. Also in 2014, Hesmondhalgh was nominated for the "Best Actress" award at The British Soap Awards. In her sixteen years as Hayley, Hesmondhalgh wore the same red anorak. Rejected by Roy, Hayley confided her troubles in Alma, also revealing her sex change to her. "[11] Hayley's exit storyline saw her diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Hayley is devastated and furious with Roy. For their on-screen partnership, Julie Hesmondhalgh and David Neilson received a British Soap Award in 1999 and 2004. Given the level of fame Hayley has achieved, anonymity in everyday life has been a blessing for the actress. However, she made an exception for Tracy Barlow, giving her a slap when Tracy made cracks about her sexuality during a heated argument. Carla drove her to the hospital, where she found out she had pancreatic cancer. With nobody else in the mood for talking, Roy bored the rest of the table with his dry stories, but he had a captive audience in Hayley, and took her out for a drink afterwards. Ben's identity as a gay man, from bullied schoolboy to revenge-seeking hardman to fianc, has always been tied to his plot lines and his popularity. However, she did not want to sleep apart from Roy anyway, and as she moved into Roy's flat, they cemented their relationship, although Hayley lied to Roy by telling him that, like him, she was a virgin. Suppressing his feelings of grief, Roy slumped into a depression. He then proposed, and Hayley excitedly accepted, agreeing not to be defeated by a law. In 2001, Roy and Hayley decide to become foster parents. Roy admired his wife's courage but advised her to change her mind as Wayne would understand them not visiting him under the circumstances. Due to her longstanding feud with Tracy, Becky was shunned by the residents, with only Roy and her sister Kylie Platt believing her. In June 2011, Roy's mother Sylvia Goodwin (Stephanie Cole) who moved in with the Croppers' earlier in the year is suspicious when, after expressing a longing for grandchildren, she finds out Hayley cannot have children. The Croppers were reconciled when Roy bought Hayley a salsa dress as a present. Meeting with Christian on the pretence of showing him where Harold's ashes were scattered, Hayley finally told Christian that she was Harold. It has been said that the character of Hayley deserves partial credit for bringing the issues faced by trans people to public attention in a sympathetic manner, rather than the sensationalist coverage that had previously existed[citation needed]. We didn't want people to be fearful of her and dislike her for the wrong reasons. The following year, the Croppers joined the Weatherfield First Aiders. When Hayley Cropper swallows poison on Coronation Street on Monday night, taking her own life to escape inoperable pancreatic cancer, with her beloved husband, Roy, in pieces at her bedside, it will be the end of a character who, thanks to Hesmondhalghs performance, has captivated and challenged British TV viewers for . Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! But doing the play at the Royal Exchange last year made me realise that there's life in the old dog yet. A few days later, Roy and Hayley attend Jane's funeral and meet her young sons, Zac and Henry. Hayley is heartbroken when Becky decides to leave Weatherfield in January 2012 but gets a call a few months later, telling her that she is engaged to her new boyfriend. Their first child is teenager Fiz Brown (Jennie McAlpine), who returns to care after falsely claiming that Roy hit her. Realising how close he came to losing Hayley, Roy got down on one knee and proposed marriage instead of a civil partnership, and Hayley accepted without hesitation. Hayley had respect for her father but he didn't understand her problems. Fiz subsequently returned to the area after turning sixteen, where she enjoyed a far better relationship with the Croppers. (50 Years), News that Coronation Street was set to introduce British soap's first transsexual character broke in the papers two weeks before Hayley's on-screen debut in Episode 4341 on 26th January 1998. Hayley was the first transgender character in a British soap opera and was the first permanent transgender character in the world of serialised drama. It being a big step for them, Hayley and Roy were very attentive and enthusiastic, much to Jackie's chagrin, but overall it was a pleasant experience for them. Hayley then went to visit her family, and when she returned she was stunned when Roy told her he'd had sex with Tracy. She was appearing in Much Ado About Nothing at the Royal Exchange Theatre when she was spotted by a member of the casting team and subsequently asked to audition for Coronation Street. Sylvia was initially appalled but Roy rose to the occasion and made her feel ashamed for her gut reaction. As a child, she was lonely due to having no friends or siblings, and felt out of place among the other boys. They successfully applied and were taken on as foster parents. Roy plays "The Lark Ascending" by Vaughan Williams, and sits on the bed with Hayley. With the return of Hayley Cropper to Coronation Street on Monday 17th November, emails are coming in asking where the actress who plays Hayley, Julie Hesmondhalgh, has been in real life for a whole year. Her friend and colleague Alma Baldwin ( Amanda Barrie) introduced her to Roy Cropper ( David Neilson) and they became friends until Hayley told him that she was transgender and used to be called Harold. Hayley and Roy enjoy their last Christmas together. According to Roy, he had got drunk at Peter and Shelley Barlow's wedding reception and woke up the next morning in bed with Tracy. Hayley returned to work but, dazed by the news, she broke down in front of the girls, and privately informed Carla of her diagnosis. When Becky heard Hayley admitting to Roy that she didn't know who to believe, she became angry and shoved her. However, when interviewed the Hayes family and Alex denied any abuse was taking place, and the Croppers were suspended from fostering for good measure. Hayley insisted that he get a full health check, offering to go through one herself to encourage him. His offer came with a proposal of marriage, but Hayley had to decline, reminding him that they couldn't marry under UK law. Hayley's attire and mannerisms were used to subtly hint at her background. As Hayley had yet to update her passport, they took their honeymoon in York. She was a fast machinist and got a job at Underworld, though when her secret came out and she faced bigotry in the workplace and elsewhere, she found it difficult to cope with. Hayley does well and is invited to Audrey Roberts' (Sue Nicholls) birthday party at the Bistro. Hayley is later cremated following a humanist funeral. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Her anger was typically directed at her circumstances, rather than her tormentors. Jane shocked the couple by making jokes about her pancreatic cancer, but while Roy found her attitude inappropriate, Hayley was inspired and befriended the couple. In her later years, Hayley formed an unlikely, yet notably close, friendship with Carla Connor (Alison King) and although it was obvious the pair were from completely different walks of life, they came to respect and care for each other. Hayley is called back to the Medical Centre the following week and the doctor tells Hayley that she has abnormal liver function and needs an ultrasound scan for further investigation. Media outlets, noting the programme's usual reluctance to confront soap taboos, predicted "a storm of outrage, particularly from older viewers" (The Star, 16th February 1998). They've got to be a bit more imaginative, so it's great - it works out good for us." Transgender campaigners were initially upset that a cisgender woman had been chosen for the part but later praised Hesmondhalgh's dedication and sensitivity. But a particularly interesting one that's caught hold on social media is eating an orange in the shower. Initially, it was intended that Hayley would only appear for two months, it was thought that this would help increase ratings as well as show a new side to Roy Cropper (David Neilson). Following the screening of the "wedding" in 1999, the Labour Government announced that a Parliamentary Working Group was being created to assess how the United Kingdom could grant trans people the legal rights for which they had fought for decades. The Croppers even let Tracy off with paying some of the money in exchange for letting them baby-sit Amy, and when Roy's divorce came through in June, the Croppers celebrated their freedom from Tracy with a candlelit dinner. Christian Gatley was the son of transsexual Hayley Cropper and first seen in September 2007 when a Private Investigator found Christian for Hayley, giving her all the information needed about her son, she was also shown a photograph of Christian outside Sound Garden, the record shop where he worked. His bad treatment of her intensified when Roy threw a pint over him in the Rovers Return in retaliation for calling Hayley a freak. Over a romantic meal at Roy's cafe, Roy's Rolls, Hayley confessed to him that she had been born a man, and explained to him what had led her to decide to change her body. In the wake of the Wayne incident, Peter Hartnell told the Croppers that their fostering suspension would be lifted, but the couple never fostered again. Steeling herself, Hayley introduced herself to Christian, but for the moment she was too afraid to tell him who she really was. "[7][8] The character of Hayley Cropper is around four years older than Hesmondhalgh. Patience Cropper is renamed Amy Barlow and the Croppers are her godparents. Roy later proposed to Hayley at a fancy-dress disco on St. Valentine's Day 1999. She decides to tell Fiz about Christian, confusing Roy but he comes round to the idea of Hayley contacting Christian, so she leaves a message on his mobile. Hayley and Roy return a couple of weeks later and learn that Sylvia has gone to live with her sister, Roy's aunt Jean. What is the real name of Hayley. Furious that the police weren't investigating Alex, Hayley refused to accept her bail condition and was remanded in custody. The joke was that Roy Cropper (David Neilson) was going to go on a series . Hayley broached the possibility of having a legally-recognised wedding instead, as they had always intended to do once the law changed, but Roy opposed the idea because of the expense and his discomfort at expressing his feelings publicly. Her friend and colleague Alma Baldwin (Amanda Barrie) introduced her to Roy Cropper (David Neilson) and they became friends until Hayley told him that she was transgender and used to be called Harold. Hayley was the more open emotionally of the two, with Roy wearing a constant stone face. It wasn't until 2009 that Hayley took on a greater significance in her life; when Carla's husband Tony Gordon made a deathbed confession to arranging the murder of Liam Connor to Roy, only to recover, Roy became obsessed with exposing him. Hayley was given six months, or up to a year with chemotherapy. Tracy drugs Roy at Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) and Shelley Unwin's (Sally Lindsay) wedding reception and claims to have slept with him. Their reunion was cemented when Hayley was taken hostage at the factory by a maniacal Tony Gordon, escaping after her fellow hostage Carla Connor appealed to Tony's better side and persuaded him to let Hayley go. Roy and his late wife Hayley fostered Wayne back in 2001 in a bid to get him away from his abusive stepfather, but he was eventually returned home leaving the couple devastated. Transgender groups were also largely unhappy with the storyline, and found Hayley's original character traits, as written, clichd and ill-informed. Realising that Hayley had no other friends, Alma searched for a way to free herself of her without hurting her feelings, succeeding when Hayley was introduced to Roy Cropper at dinner at Alma and Mike's flat. She is terrified of anything that might give her away." This culminated in Tony nearly drowning Roy in the canal before turning himself over to the police and confessing to his crimes. At the given address, they were met by Margaret Cropper, St. John's second wife, who informed them that her husband had recently passed away. (Final line, to husband Roy). Mary realised she wasn't wanted when she didn't receive an invite to the wedding, and in revenge she disconnected the rear carriage, stranding the bridal party. But we wanted the character to live and breathe a bit so that people could get to know her without prejudice. The couple visit and Hayley is shocked to see how dazed Jane is after taking morphine. Initially put off when he found out Hayley was a pre-op trans-woman, he realised what a perfect match they were and accepted her as a woman. Hesmondhalgh quit the programme to pursue other work, having enjoyed her return to the stage the year before: "The decision to hang up Hayley's red anorak was a tough one. Hayley Patterson was a shy shop supervisor at Firman's Freezers. Hayley caught up with Roy at the airport and returned to Weatherfield with him. The Croppers were relieved when they were informed that Fiz had done similarly before, and there would be no action taken. In order to know that Christian's feelings were genuine, Hayley didn't tell him about the cancer, and he delighted her by expressing his regret over hitting her six years prior and informing her that she had two grandchildren, Sam and Maisie. Later, Roy tells her that he wishes that he could halve her pain and Hayley tells him that she could die and the pair embrace passionately. 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