[9] For a short period of time, after the actor took a one-year break from the show, the producers decided to change her ways. The unlucky-in-love shop assistant, played by Cheryl Fergison, plucks up the courage to tell the mystery man hes become a father just hours after giving birth. Alma Baldwin was Hayley's first close friend following her sex change. But I think the anorak has got to stay - it's an institution! To her surprise, Christian returned and introduced Hayley to Sam and Maisie, at the same time asking her for 5,000 to clear his debts. 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. Feeling herself getting weaker, Hayley decided to end her life the next day and saw each of her close friends in turn, telling them how much she appreciated them, even finding the time to tell Tracy Barlow what a horrible person she was. Christian brings Sam and Maisie to the caf and Maisie is intrigued by Roy's train collection, while Hayley and Christian talk upstairs. 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 then went to visit her family, and when she returned she was stunned when Roy told her he'd had sex with Tracy. Hayley's only romantic relationship was with Roy Cropper. On her last day, Hayley prepared a lethal cocktail, instructing Roy not to touch it, and ironed Roy's best shirt for the funeral. Suppressing his feelings of grief, Roy slumped into a depression. I know the transsexual community have experienced terrible prejudice because of fear and ignorance, but this storyline has actually got people talking about a subject they might otherwise not have known about. Hayley tells Roy that he must not touch the glass containing the lethal cocktail. The letter stirred up some painful childhood memories of abandonment, but with Hayley's encouragement Roy took a trip to Blackburn to meet St. John. He then proposed, and Hayley excitedly accepted, agreeing not to be defeated by a law. He says she could live up to about six months to a year. 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. Hayley does well and is invited to Audrey Roberts' (Sue Nicholls) birthday party at the Bistro. The following month, Hayley was promoted to supervisor at the factory, with responsibility for quality control. [11] Hesmondhalgh revealed that she wanted to pursue new projects, saying "I've had the most wonderful and happy time in the life changing 15/16 years I've been in Corrie, and I owe so much to the show and the special team that make it happen. In 1999, Alma was Matron of Honour at their wedding. In February 1999, Hayley became suspicious of Roy's movements when he put on his best clothes to go for a walk. Meeting with Christian on the pretence of showing him where Harold's ashes were scattered, Hayley finally told Christian that she was Harold. He decides to call her but she left her phone behind. She also swore those who knew to secrecy, but Roy blurted it out at Audrey Roberts's birthday party at Nick's Bistro after catching her drinking alcohol. Born as a male named Harold Patterson in 1966, Hayley started treatment to physically become female when she was in her twenties. As Hayley had yet to update her passport, they took their honeymoon in York. Owner of Roy's Rolls, Roy was an incessantly honest man, and Hayley was one of the few people who understood him. But a lot of people have said because it's been so true to Roy and Hayley, they've found it moving. [8] She took maternity leave from the soap between 2000 and 2001 after the birth of her first daughter. Roy confronts Hayley when he sees money has withdrawn from their joint bank account and she tells Roy everything. Roy and Fiz go too. Hayley agreed to keep her secret and didn't even tell Roy. The episode attracted 9.7 million viewers the show's highest figure in almost a year. No. She returned in Episode 6950 on 17th November 2008. 50 Years of Coronation Street: The (very) Unofficial Story. 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. When she told her father this, he threw all photographs of "Harold" into the fire and refused to allow her to wear woman's clothes in his presence. Roy breaks the news to Anna, Fiz, Tyrone, Peter, Carla, Rita Tanner (Barbara Knox) and Dennis Tanner (Philip Lowrie). Also, his presents to her was usually more suited to him, for example an authentic but rustic meal from the Civil War period (2002), a holiday in Burnham Thorpe for the two hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar (2005), and Scrabble in a foreign language (2003). In some ways this was a disadvantage; her easygoing nature made her a poor stand-in factory manager after Paul Connor's death, with Carla having to take over to get things back on track. Who drove the Ford Escort in fast and furious? However, having got wind of the relationship, Les Battersby told Stuart that Hayley used to be a man. Having missed each other, they toured the sights of Amsterdam together, while surreptitiously trying to find out where they stood in each other's affections. After one last moment together, she drinks the cocktail. Hayley Cropper was created in 1998. So I went away to this great bookshop in Manchester and said I need every book you've got on transgender. (Fifty Years of Coronation Street, Headline Publishing Group, 2010) At 27, Hesmondhalgh was four years younger than her character. Becky grew very attached to Royston and Hayles. He couldn't remember what had happened in between but Tracy was more than happy to fill in the blanks. What happened to Anne Malone in Coronation Street? In revenge, Les tipped off a reporter about the wedding between "two blokes". ", As the storyline played out, Hesmondhalgh feared a backlash from fans over the storyline but was surprised by the reaction: "I've had so many messages and it's been overwhelming. Hayley tries to comfort Henry as he is not coping. It was revealed that Hayley had applied for, and received, her new birth certificate, and so, after some disagreements about the cost and motives for marriage, the plans were made for the wedding. In 2004, Roy bought Hayley an old globe and suggested they travel the world, starting with Kent, although they were tired out by one day's travelling and sold their camper van to Harry Flagg. As a wedding present to Roy, Hayley officially changed her name by deed poll to Hayley Anne Cropper. Hayley would go on to spend 16 years on Coronation Street, always seeing the good in people and nurturing Fiz Brown (Jennie McAlpine) and Becky McDonald (Katherine Kelly) from troubled young women to kind, caring, individuals. This causes an argument and Hayley moves in with Fiz and Tyrone. When Hayley finds him later, Christian is still angry and punches her when she refuses to leave him alone. They later joined the Weatherfield Operatic Society together, with Hayley encouraging a terrified Roy to try for The Sound of Music with her. They decide to go camping in a bid to mend their issues. In July 2003, Hayley went to visit her ill Aunty Monica. With the support of friends, Hayley gained in confidence and her bubbly personality emerged. Maisie, however, tells her that she hopes she gets better soon and that she would love to come again. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. I think maybe Ann McManus came up with it. At that point, they could not legally marry as under UK law Hayley would be recognised as a man. The concept is simple: Turn on your shower, grab an orange, get in and start peeling and eating the fruit, enjoying all that citrusy . The answer, my friends, is that . Hesmondhalgh: "Because nobody else would have them, the scriptwriters have got to be a bit imaginative with us - they can't just keep splitting us up and sending us off and having affairs and having children and things. When catching up with Tilly, another volunteer, she learns Olaf is not the man she thought he was and decides to stay with Roy. When I got the scripts for those episodes I read them like a novel, all five episodes back to back I found it absolutely thrilling. (Fifty Years). By law they were still unwed, but with Hayley changing her surname to "Cropper" by deed poll, they considered themselves a married couple. The character first appeared in the episode first broadcast on 26 January 1998. Producer Brian Park: [We] didn't want to be seen as chasing their tails so much. For a few weeks, they lived in fear of Alex, Social Services and the police, finding little comfort in the fact that they were doing it to protect Wayne. Roy organises a romantic dinner for their third wedding anniversary but Hayley is upset as she completely forgot. Their relationship was tested by various storylines including Tracy Barlow's (Kate Ford) deceit, Hayley's secret son and Hayley's absence from the street. By 1995 he was living by himself at the Crimea Street flats . In September 2007, Hayley was saddened to learn of her Aunt Monica's death. Carla appreciated Hayley as a valuable member of the sewing room team, but nothing more; poles apart in personality, Carla was a glamorous factory boss, and Hayley a frumpy staff supervisor. Following this, in October 2007, Hayley leaves the Street to go on volunteer work in Mozambique for a year. Hesmondhalgh has become an outspoken activist for trans rights, including becoming the first Friend of campaign group Trans Media Watch[14] and as Hayley, she has heralded a new level of acceptance among people across the country. Stuart kept popping into the cafe to see Hayley and they developed an innocent flirtation, with the understanding that nothing would happen due to Hayley being married. What's on TV describes the character as quiet, and kind-hearted. The following day, Hayley collapses and Fiz calls an ambulance to take Hayley to hospital. 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. Hayley is inspired by Jane's strength and confidence, despite dying from pancreatic cancer, but Roy tells Hayley that he found her highly inappropriate and inconsiderate. While Roy was in a vulnerable state due to his grief over betraying Hayley, Hayley acted out in other ways, initially accusing Tracy of making the whole thing up, and then, after persuading Roy to fight for their marriage and not move out as he proposed, adopting a more feminine image, which was not to either of their liking. Their row led to Hayley leaving Roy to stay with Fiz and Tyrone Dobbs at 9 Coronation Street, where she had a collapse due to an infection and was taken to hospital. Hayley gave Becky her job back at the cafe and from then on there was more trust in their relationship. 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. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Coronation Street's Julie Hesmondhalgh: Hayley's death is not a 'right to die' storyline", "When Julie Met Hayley: Interview with Julie Hesmondhalgh", When Julie Met Hayley: The Original Interview with Julie Hesmondhalgh with Beaumont Magazine Columnist Samantha Johnson, "Entertainment | TV stars prepare for battle", "Real-life Hayley Cropper speaks publicly for the first time", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hayley_Cropper&oldid=1138353201, This page was last edited on 9 February 2023, at 06:01. Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street was a Weatherfield legend. During their last conversation, Hayley thanked Carla for giving her three extra years of life. 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