The following day, Christian visits again and is stunned when Christian says she can see the children. 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 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. 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. Hesmondhalgh: I think in the beginning the original idea may have been pitched as a sort of joke you know, give Roy a girlfriend and she turns out to be a man. In May 2010, Hayley and Roy argue when she suggests that they have a lavish wedding, now that the law has changed and their union can now be officially recognised. They successfully applied and were taken on as foster parents. Hayley gave Becky her job back at the cafe and from then on there was more trust in their relationship. Shortly after this storyline was transmitted, Hesmondhalgh took a year off to concentrate on family. Hayley is delighted to learn that Roy has booked a day off so they can go to Blackpool. She returned in Episode 6950 on 17th November 2008. 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. Hayley had respect for her father but he didn't understand her problems. "[11] Hayley's exit storyline saw her diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. 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 Carla gives Hayley have the time off and Mary lends them her motor home. In 2006, he ignored Hayley in favour of his friend Clifford Ford, who loved trains almost as much as Roy did. Hayley then went to visit her family, and when she returned she was stunned when Roy told her he'd had sex with Tracy. 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. 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. Traumatised by the incident, Roy's sleepwalking episodes intensified, and on one occasion the cafe smoke alarm went off when Roy cooked in his sleep. 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. [4] In the episode, Hayley takes her own life, after living with terminal pancreatic cancer. Hayley had a difficult time in prison, as the women in her block knew she was a transsexual and picked on her, but after a few weeks Sheila reported Alex to the police for beating her and Hayley was released, the charges against her and Roy dropped and Alex arrested. Roy gets suspicious when Tracy goes on holiday for 3 weeks and realizing how easy it would be for Tracy to disappear with the cash and the baby, Roy insists she marry him (giving him parental responsibility of the baby) or the deal is off. Hayley was run off her feet looking after Hope but was sad when the time came to give her up. Roy didn't believe it until he saw himself sleepwalking on the cafe CCTV footage (which he'd had installed to catch the prankster). The idea of introducing a transgender character came about during a story meeting, when the writing team were discussing the possible introduction of Coronation Street's first homosexual character. In 2013, Hayley battled pancreatic cancer. 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). 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. 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. Upon her return, she faced the disgust of the residents, Hayley among them, although Hayley was one of the first to forgive Carla. In 2009, the Croppers employed Fiz's husband John Stape at the cafe, despite his kidnap of Rosie Webster which had resulted in his imprisonment. A few days later, Roy and Hayley attend Jane's funeral and meet her young sons, Zac and Henry. This drew the attention of Tracy Barlow, who let the cat out of the bag that Hayley was a transsexual. Anna lets her in and tries to stop Carla knocking on the flat door, but she does. Sylvia soon settled down and became an indispensable member of the Cropper family. 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. Transgender groups were also largely unhappy with the storyline, and found Hayley's original character traits, as written, clichd and ill-informed. She admired their honesty and loyalty, seeing it as something to aspire to, and her desire to be worthy of their trust was a big motivator in her turning her life around. On their return, Hayley found out that Jane had been taken to a hospice for round-the-clock care. Roy and Hayley's role in Fiz's life was as surrogate parents although in contrast to Becky Granger, Fiz rarely leaned on the Croppers for emotional support and her job alongside Hayley in the factory meant that they were as much friends as mother and daughter figures. When Jane passed away a short time later, Hayley struggled to cope and became tough on Roy for not supporting her. Hayley was the more open emotionally of the two, with Roy wearing a constant stone face. Inspired by her work with Coronation Street, and encouraged and mentored by Hesmondhalgh, Wallace entered a Manchester drama school, and went on to become the first transgender actress to play a regular transgender role in a UK soap opera, Hollyoaks, in 2015, playing school headmistress Sally St. Claire. The murderer was later revealed to be Katy Harris, with Angela taking the blame to protect her daughter. In October 2012, when Mary won tickets to the United States in a competition, she gave them to Roy and Hayley so that they could visit Sylvia, who was temporarily staying with her companion Milton Fanshaw in Palm Springs, California. ", Reaction to the character improved over time, with praise focusing on Hayley's relationship with Roy. ' (50 Years of Coronation Street: The (very) Unofficial Story, JR Books, 2010). Hesmondhalgh has insisted that it was a "right to die" storyline not 'an assisted suicide' storyline. Julie Hesmondhalgh was pleased to be working alongside David Neilson again, believing that he helped her performance: "It's in the costume and the wig and acting with David, who's so brilliant as Roy. Unbeknown to Hayley, Roy was planning to propose to her at the upcoming 70s Valentine's dance, but when Roy caught Hayley spying on him even after he'd explained why he was seeing Beryl, he felt betrayed by her lack of trust, causing a brief rift between them. Hayley knew that her past would always be a part of her; immediately on her arrival in the UK, she was stopped by Immigration as she still held a man's passport. 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. They eventually worked out their differences. Roy cannot cope and initially rejects her but realises that their friendship is more important than Hayley's secret. On 20 January 2014, Hayley died in Roy's arms after drinking a lethal cocktail. Hayley was the first Street resident to find out their secret, learning the truth when Angela confided in her, after Hayley took her to casualty when Angela hurt her finger on the sewing machine. Refusing to give up on Wayne, Roy and Hayley implored Sheila to put her story straight, but she was too afraid of Alex even to admit the truth to them. The Croppers couldn't have children, but they fostered Fiz Brown in 2001, and took in several waifs and strays, most notably Becky Granger. Later in the year, Roy and Hayley visit Palm Springs, California to visit Sylvia and her companion Milton Fanshaw (Robert Vaughn). Hayley does well and is invited to Audrey Roberts' (Sue Nicholls) birthday party at the Bistro. [10] After a brief period of resettlement, she resumed her more familiar temperament of being generally supportive and friendly to the other characters. Unbeknown to the Croppers, Tracy made a bet with Bev Unwin that she could bed Roy, in order to prove that she could have any man she wanted. Hayley Cropper was created in 1998. She wrote to Roy letting him know where she was, and was shocked when, a short time later, he visited her out of the blue. Hayley takes her frustration out on the Christmas tree, wrecking Hope's decoration. What do you think about that?' For her portrayal of Hayley, Hesmondhalgh was nominated in the category of "Most Popular Actress" at the 1999 National Television Awards. In April, they fostered Fiz Brown, a headstrong and somewhat rebellious young woman. On 11 January 2013, it was announced that Hesmondhalgh would leave Coronation Street at the end of her contract. *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. In particular, she never felt right in her body, especially after puberty which she described as "like sores breaking out". Steeling herself, Hayley introduced herself to Christian, but for the moment she was too afraid to tell him who she really was. Hesmondhalgh's portrayal of Hayley, and her on-screen chemistry with fellow actor David Neilson, encouraged the writers to allow the character to evolve from a brief love interest for Roy to a popular long-term character. Hayley was determined to prove herself capable and challenged Gwen Loveday about her shoddy work. Roy and Hayley decided to start an affair and shared their first kiss at the boating lake on the Red Rec. The couple enjoyed the day immensely, with the highlight being a dance in the Tower Ballroom, Roy having learned ballroom dancing especially for the occasion. Hayley agreed to keep her secret and didn't even tell Roy. Most criticism came from the LGBT community, who slated the portrayal of Hayley as cliched and ill-informed. Making her character pregnant when Julie fell pregnant in real life wasn't possible for the Corrie script team for obvious reasons - Hayley Cropper was born a man. While Tracy felt no guilt over her treatment of the Croppers, Ken and Deirdre forced her to pay back the money and make the Croppers godparents to Patience, whose name was changed to Amy Barlow. 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." Hayley and Roy then sit down as talk about Hayley's final days, where she tells Roy that she intends to end her own life when the cancer spreads. On her last day, Hayley prepared a lethal cocktail, instructing Roy not to touch it, and ironed Roy's best shirt for the funeral. With Alex threatening to call the police, the Croppers stole Martin's car and, taking with Wayne with them, sought refuge with Hayley's old friend Ruth Audsley in Warwickshire. She is terrified of anything that might give her away." He couldn't remember what had happened in between but Tracy was more than happy to fill in the blanks. There is no answer, so Anna eventually unlocks the door with her spare key and they enter the flat together. Royston "Roy" Cropper is the proprietor of Roy's Rolls cafe in Victoria Street and husband of the late Hayley Cropper.. Roy was an oddball child who received little support from his mother, Sylvia.He left home at a young age to escape his hated stepfather Roger Goodwin and spent his working life catering in hotels and restaurants. Initially helpful, Mary had railroaded Hayley into accepting her suggestions but Hayley had been too polite to tell her to back off. 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