Hayley Cropper (also Hayley Patterson) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Julie Hesmondhalgh. 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. Initially considering fighting for Patience, the Croppers made a joint decision to give Tracy back her baby, while they faced the fact that the pain and anguish they went through in the last eight months was all for nothing. This was incorporated into scripts, with Curly Watts finding a vicar who would carry out a blessing ceremony which was then treated like a wedding, with Hayley changing her name by deed poll to Hayley Cropper. I'm happy as I am. Anna lets her in and tries to stop Carla knocking on the flat door, but she does. Although it was decided that Hayley would be a pre-op transsexual when viewers first meet her, Park was determined that Hayley would be portrayed with dignity: "We are approaching it sensitively. Although devoted to Hayley, Roy could sometimes be insensitive. She names him George Michael, after the singer. She was a kind woman who always put others first, at times such that she could be seen as a pushover, as evidenced by doing her colleagues work for them to meet quotas. In February 1999, Hayley became suspicious of Roy's movements when he put on his best clothes to go for a walk. Newborn George Michael, named after Heathers idol, was conceived after her drunken night out at the R&R nightclub on Valentines night. 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. Roy confronts Hayley when he sees money has withdrawn from their joint bank account and she tells Roy everything. The Croppers' relationship becomes increasingly strained, including a suicide attempt by Roy, but they pull through. Upset, Hayley runs home and is followed by Sylvia. 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 her sixteen years as Hayley, Hesmondhalgh wore the same red anorak. Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street was a Weatherfield legend. Steve and Karen marry, despite Tracy's bombshell, and Karen gets her revenge by gatecrashing the christening. In many respects, the Croppers were very different and this was reflected in their other interests. As well as being nominated for the "Best Actress" award, Hesmondhalgh's final appearance, entitled "Hayley's Death", was nominated for the "Best Single Episode" award, as well. Roy admired his wife's courage but advised her to change her mind as Wayne would understand them not visiting him under the circumstances. But I was really conscious that I didn't want it to be making fun of her, and as it happened it was beautifully written and David [Neilson] and I played it, and continue to play it, as a delicate love story. (Fifty Years) On their relationship, David Neilson: "Everything just clicked and the two characters just seem to sparkle together," (Inside Soap). Roy couldn't believe that Hayley wanted to take herself away from him earlier than her illness dictated and refused to support 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. Although not a loving couple in the romantic sense, they were friends as well as husband and wife and enjoyed doing things together, such as taking Spanish lessons and learning first aid. 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. Hayley was the first transgender character in a British soap opera and was the first permanent transgender character in the world of serialised drama. Blackburn: "This is a very sensitive issue and we will be exploring the effects of her decision on husband Roy who has a huge emotional and moral dilemma over her choice to die this way." At the age of 46 years old David made his debut on Coronation Street. 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 Hesmondhalgh's performance, has captivated and challenged British TV viewers for They went on to possibly save their group mates' lives by evacuating the first aid tent when a rocket landed on it and started a fire at the local firework display. Her skill on the sewing machine made her the go-to person when a dress needed making or mending for a wedding or christening, with Hayley going as far as to mend Claire Casey's wedding dress late at night on Christmas Eve. Before auditioning, the actress was given sketchy details about the character, with one glaring omission: All I knew at first was there's a part going in Coronation Street, she's called Hayley, she's going to work in the factory and she's fun. When Sylvia leaves Roy and Hayley alone, Roy holds Hayley's hand and starts pestering Hayley to drink herbal tea, so she confides in Carla again. Hayley was so glad to have a friend that she started following Alma around and bought her an expensive sweater. 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. Eleven days after her death on 20th January 2014, Hayley Cropper received a humanist funeral with a colourful theme; mourners were under orders to dress brightly and Hayley was cremated in a coffin adorned with differently coloured flower patterns. However, she made an exception for Tracy Barlow, giving her a slap when Tracy made cracks about her sexuality during a heated argument. Spurred on by a nightmare in which she was still Harold and had never met Roy, she decided to try and make amends with Christian. From hair masks to cold rinses, people incorporate many different shower rituals into their routines. Due to her longstanding feud with Tracy, Becky was shunned by the residents, with only Roy and her sister Kylie Platt believing her. 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. Her return to the fray ended on a sour note as she was disqualified due to her being registered as Harold and therefore not allowed to compete in the all-woman team. When Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) and her half-sister Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley), argue at the factory, Leanne pushes Eva into Hayley, so Carla throws Leanne out. Roy and Hayley shared a caring, trusting relationship, successful partly because they were friends as well as husband and wife. 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. Why then should this fictional character have a place in any list of famous or influential trans people? However, Hayley was impressed with Roy, whose stories at the dinner table had bored everyone but her, and they went out for a drink afterwards. This would make an amazing storyline, in which she has had enough of being a woman and wants to revert to being a man again Despite the fact she's shown no interest in being a man. On hearing from her friend Tilly Eaves, with whom she had shared a tent in Mozambique, that their project leader Olaf was a womaniser, Hayley confessed to Roy that she had a crush on Olaf and he was part of the reason she wanted to return, but, coming to her senses, she opted to remain in Weatherfield and apologised to Roy for her heartless behaviour. After affirming their mutual attraction, Hayley goes to Amsterdam for private gender reassignment surgery. Hayley is shocked when Christian turns violent and starts pushing her for the money. Worried about staff morale should the girls find out, Mike sacked Hayley, but without knowing the reason behind it, the girls demanded her reinstatement and threatened to strike. This liaison continued for eighteen months. As a wedding present to Roy, Hayley officially changed her name by deed poll to Hayley Anne Cropper. After Maria Connor (Samia Ghadie) accidentally interrupts and raises the alarm, Roy rushes to Underworld but can not help her, while Carla pleads with Tony to let Hayley go Tony eventually relents and throws Hayley out. 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. Chesney thought the Croppers would be a soft touch and laid it on with stories about how neglected he was at home. However, when interviewed the Hayes family and Alex denied any abuse was taking place, and the Croppers were suspended from fostering for good measure. Coronation Street Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. Initially seeming to take the news well, Hayley broke down in a panto queue and asked Roy to take her home, where she became hysterical and knocked the Christmas tree over, complaining that her life had meant nothing. Hayley felt the strain of everyone watching her and contemplated leaving Weatherfield, but Roy pleaded with her to stay and together they braved the Rovers. Roy returns without Hayley, who is caring for Sylvia as she isn't well. By 1995 he was living by himself at the Crimea Street flats . The character first appeared in the episode first broadcast on 26 January 1998. With Anna Windass's encouragement (after Roy let slip Hayley's plans), Roy lied and told Hayley that he had changed his mind. 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. 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