In October, Hayley was offered a place on a six-month volunteer project building a school in Mozambique. One instance where this was a problem was when the Croppers were interviewed to assess their suitability as foster parents in December 2000. She usually wore a shirt and cardigan with a skirt, short hair, and for all of her sixteen years in the Street, she wore the same red anorak. In March 2005, Hayley and Roy took in ten-year-old Chesney Brown when Les and Cilla went on an extended holiday in Spain without him. Hayley was determined to prove herself capable and challenged Gwen Loveday about her shoddy work. Hayley enjoys their company, but after Fiz and Tyrone arrive with their young children, Hayley finds herself falling asleep. come on your having a laugh 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. In 2003, while Hayley is away, nursing her sick aunt, scheming Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) bets Bev Unwin (Susie Blake) that she can bed the man supposedly least likely to be unfaithful Roy. By law they were still unwed, but with Hayley changing her surname to "Cropper" by deed poll, they considered themselves a married couple. Fiz takes Hayley and Roy to The Rovers and Hayley tells them that she gave Christian the money. Hayley's manner of dress was indicative of a woman older than her years. There was the wig, of course, I had to have my shoulders built up in my cardigans and there was the ubiquitous polo neck that was supposed to hide my Adam's apple. 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. Hayley is devastated and furious with Roy. Given the level of fame Hayley has achieved, anonymity in everyday life has been a blessing for the actress. However, before they could do so, Ruth shopped them and they were taken into police custody, and Wayne was returned to his parents. Mike fires her as a result. Also in 2014, Hesmondhalgh was nominated for the "Best Actress" award at The British Soap Awards. When Hayley decided to end her own life when diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer, Roy refused to support her, seeing it as selfish on her part to take herself away from him, cherishing every possible second he could spend with her. In that time, she'd fallen in love with Mozambique and its people, and in fact no sooner had she returned to Roy's side that she announced her intention to return and continue her work. The murderer was later revealed to be Katy Harris, with Angela taking the blame to protect her daughter. 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. Hayley returns in November 2008; it is clear that she is not entirely happy, appearing evasive and she tells Roy that she wants to return to her charity work, as she has fallen for Olaf, the project team leader. Couldn't you speak to 'em about taking too many smoking breaks?" 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. In April, Hayley received her father's inheritance and went to Amsterdam for her final operation. 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. Tired of appeasing Tracy, the Croppers became more aggressive in their dealings with her by telling Ken and Deirdre about her pregnancy, but Tracy hit back by getting an extra 10,000 out of them in exchange for her marrying Roy and then shaming them in public by telling the neighbours about their financial arrangement. 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. Deirdre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride) finds Roy sleepwalking on the Red Rec and returns him to Hayley and Sylvia. In July 2003, Hayley went to visit her ill Aunty Monica. 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. Roy agrees but he is more concerned with inheritance law, upsetting Hayley, so she moves in with friend Anna Windass (Debbie Rush). Hayley Patterson was a shy shop supervisor at Firman's Freezers. Becky's stay with the Croppers reached an impasse when Becky went for a joyride in Hayley's car with her friend Slug, and she was subsequently sacked for starting a fire in the cafe which was actually caused by an electrical fault. On hearing that Hayley didn't have anyone else in her life, Alma and Mike Baldwin held a dinner party with Hayley, Curly, Audrey Roberts and Roy Cropper as guests, but the intention to matchmake Hayley and Curly was obvious and embarrassed the pair. And I said, 'Brilliant! They have a wonderful time but their joy is cut short when they are told that Jane has been rushed to a hospice. She goes with Roy to his driving lesson, which was a disaster. However, Hayley's insecurity over how Roy saw her occasionally cropped up, in particular her fear that he didn't find her attractive, but it was never mentioned again after his near-suicide in 2003 when he thought he'd been unfaithful to Hayley with Tracy Barlow. Calling out, Anna and Carla go to the bedroom and, to their shock, find a deceased Hayley on the bed, with Roy's arm around her. In 2006, he ignored Hayley in favour of his friend Clifford Ford, who loved trains almost as much as Roy did. So I immediately imagined myself as a Bet Lynch-type character and I did literally pitch up for the audition with red lipstick and a leopard-skin coat. Hayley chose to end her life in the company of devoted husband Roy The final scenes of long-running Coronation Street character Hayley Cropper have been praised by critics as brave and emotionally . But we wanted the character to live and breathe a bit so that people could get to know her without prejudice. 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. In 1999, the writers decided that Hayley and Roy would marry. Hayley was also loyal to Alma. When she saw Mike kissing Linda Sykes, Hayley didn't tell Alma to avoid hurting her, but when Alma found out that Mike had a girlfriend, she came clean. 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. Hayley was thrilled to work in an environment where she could just be "one of the girls", but her colleagues took some time to warm to her due to her showing them up with her speed on the sewing machine. [1] She was married to Roy Cropper (David Neilson). Patience Cropper is renamed Amy Barlow and the Croppers are her godparents. Carla Connor became the Underworld co-manager in 2007 following the death of her husband Paul. A short time later, Roy surprised Hayley by changing the habit of a lifetime and being spontaneous by booking a trip to Blackpool. 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. Alex then stunned them by offering to sell Wayne to them for 10,000, which he lowered to 5,000, eager for them to accept. Briefly, upon her return, there was a difficult situation where she had developed a crush on one of her co-workers in Africa (further reading below). On 20 January 2014, Hayley died in Roy's arms after drinking a lethal cocktail. 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. 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. Alma Baldwin was Hayley's first close friend following her sex change. Well, I was gobsmacked, of course, but I thought it was a fantastic idea. 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. When she met Roy in 1998, a kinship was developed as they were both lonely, introspective people. 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. 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. With Hayley behind him, Roy bought a new unit in Victoria Street, No.16, and the flat above, and moved the cafe there. While Wayne was staying with them, Roy and Hayley pretended to the neighbours that they were fostering him. Roy upset Hayley with his honest but blunt responses to the questions, in which he admitted that he didn't see her as a normal woman, because he knew intellectually that she was a born a man. 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 gave Becky her job back at the cafe and from then on there was more trust in their relationship. [6] Actor Julie Hesmondhalgh first came to the attention of the casting director while dressed in drag in a production of 'Much Ado About Nothing'. On her return to the caf, she makes it clear that she blames Roy and this causes problems. 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. They seemed to be back on the road to normality when Tracy dropped a bombshell she was pregnant, and Roy was the father. Sylvia was initially appalled but Roy rose to the occasion and made her feel ashamed for her gut reaction. As a result of this change in the law, the Croppers had a legal wedding in 2010. 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. On 1 June 2010, Robbie Sloan (James Fleet) tricks Hayley to go to the factory, telling her that Carla Connor (Alison King) has had an accident, when in reality, Robbie has tied Carla to a chair and duct taped her mouth shut. As a surprise for Roy, Hayley arranged for the wedding bus to stop at the train station and for Roy to drive a steam engine to the venue, with the bridal party in the rear carriage. At the same time, she came clean to Roy about her secretive behaviour of late, and her lie to him about being a virgin when they met. 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. A non-confrontational but resilient woman, Hayley made many friends through her kind and honest nature. Wayne later returned and stayed the night, feeling safe with the Croppers. The Croppers were reconciled when Roy bought Hayley a salsa dress as a present. Roy became obsessed with catching the prankster, suspecting Beth Tinker, but the mystery was solved when Deirdre Barlow, walking her dog Eccles, found Roy sleepwalking on the Red Rec. Transgender groups were also largely unhappy with the storyline, and found Hayley's original character traits, as written, clichd and ill-informed. Tracy then announced to the entire congregation that her baby was in fact Steve's, and she never had sex with Roy at all. Before meeting Hayley, Roy Cropper led a life very similar to his future wife; he was an only child, whose father St. John Cropper had walked out on the family, and his mother Sylvia found him a disappointment due to his oddness. Later that year, they supported her when she had her miscarriages, and it was on Hayley's advice that the McDonalds turned to adoption. 50 Years of Coronation Street: The (very) Unofficial Story. Hayley thought the day ruined but to her great surprise, Roy hastily re-organised the day's events, moving the ceremony to the cafe. 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. Shortly after this storyline was transmitted, Hesmondhalgh took a year off to concentrate on family. Brian Park: We had hoped for her to be a sympathetic character and we didn't want to make her big and blowsy and looking like Pete Burns." Fiz returns later that year and becomes good friends with Roy and Hayley. No. ", 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 was the first transgender character in a British soap opera Darren Miller Hayley and Roy shared many interests and activities. In 2013, Carla was one of the first people to find out about Hayley's cancer treatment. Hayley's only romantic relationship was with Roy Cropper. Hayley returns later that year and supports Roy when they discover that his father died in May 2013. Hayley and Roy return a couple of weeks later and learn that Sylvia has gone to live with her sister, Roy's aunt Jean. 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. Although disappointed in Christian's tactics, Hayley gave him the money and remarked to a disapproving Roy that she had no regrets. Roy breaks the news to Anna, Fiz, Tyrone, Peter, Carla, Rita Tanner (Barbara Knox) and Dennis Tanner (Philip Lowrie). Hayley and Roy then foster a young boy, Wayne Hayes (Gary Damer), but go on the run with him, wanting to protect him from his abusive stepfather. He decides to call her but she left her phone behind. After Christmas, Hayley and Roy went to the hospital for the results of another scan, carried out when Hayley complained about feeling pains. In June 2010, Tony escaped from prison and took Carla and Hayley hostage at the factory, intending to kill Hayley along with Carla so that Roy would feel the same loss he felt when Maria Connor turned her back on him. Coronation Street Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. Hayley is thrilled but Christian demands Hayley give him money in return as he is in a lot of debt. Then Judi Hayfield, the casting director, said to me: 'I don't know how to begin to tell you what this part is or how you'll feel about it, but she's a transsexual and at the moment she's still in a male body. Angela apologised to Hayley and asked her to tell everyone the truth. Mary Taylor (Patti Clare) intervenes in the wedding preparations and, after weeks of muscling in, Hayley and Roy tell her they do not want her to be a part of the wedding, despite Hayley wearing her vintage wedding dress. The result of this was the tabling, in 2004, of the Gender Recognition Act, granting trans people full legal status in their acquired sex. But doing the play at the Royal Exchange last year made me realise that there's life in the old dog yet. The actor has played the legendary character on the ITV soap for a number of years and has become a big part of culture but he has appeared to hint that he has made his last appearance on the programme. Two months after her arrival, Sylvia's attentions turned to grandchildren. Her passion for bowls was passed on by her father. From hair masks to cold rinses, people incorporate many different shower rituals into their routines. She decides not to return to Underworld and wants to become a social worker but her police record (for the abduction of Wayne in 2001), rules her ineligible to work with children. He was collected by his stepfather Alex Swinton and eventually returned to the children's home. 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. Driven by his determination to fulfill his promise to Hayley, Roy found (via Emily Bishop) a minister who agreed to perform a ceremony at St. Paul's Church. The dress is a success and Roy and Hayley attend Carla and Peter's wedding. On getting home, Hayley is stunned to see Christian and tells him that she is too tired but will see him another time. However, when Hayley discovered that Roger's death had left Sylvia bereft and living in a care home, she persuaded Roy to take her in. And of course we had to plaster on tons of make-up." The following day, Christian visits again and is stunned when Christian says she can see the children. 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. Feeling sorry for Hayley, Alma offered her the hand of friendship, although she was slightly disturbed when Hayley, having no other friends, latched on to her and started following her around. 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. Roy suggested fostering instead, as they would be able to help more children, and Hayley agreed. 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. Since the passing of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 in UK law, it has been possible for transgender people to change their birth certificates and marry legally. Hayley agreed to keep her secret and didn't even tell Roy. Strange happenings begin occurring in the caf and Roy thinks Beth Tinker (Lisa George) and her family are responsible. Hayley was wary of Becky's attempts to befriend her but, sensing something in her, decided to cut her a break and gave her a job at the cafe. Rising Stockholm -based designer Jade Cropper is debuting her Fall/Winter 2023 collection in a short film. After . 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. Hayley was the first transgender character in a British soap opera and was the first permanent transgender character in the world of serialised drama. In December, Roy and Hayley go to a hospital appointment where she tells the nurse that her pain is getting worse and she is prescribed with stronger painkillers. After the initial surprise, most were supportive of Hayley, but some, such as Les Battersby, picked on her, while at work Linda Sykes tried to make her use the gents toilets, resulting in Mike stepping and forcing Linda to back down (although his intentions were only to get everyone back to work, rather than anything noble). The couple finally married on 30 August 2010 at a stately home in Cheshire, and almost everyone but the bride arrived by steam train. Was Hayley cropper from corrie a man in real life? They've got to be a bit more imaginative, so it's great - it works out good for us." Hesmondhalgh won both of these awards. During Ben's adolescence and childhood, he was. New to the Street, Fiz found Roy and Hayley old-fashioned and caused trouble by reporting Roy for hitting her when they tried to crack down on her skiving off school. The Croppers reunited, but the incident only made both parties more entrenched in their positions on Hayley's suicide plot. As a teenager, she became friends with a girl called Cath who was similarly outcast amongst their peers. Some time later, her dad regularly attended day centres, and Hayley went out to work as secretary to manager Curly Watts at Firman's Freezers in Weatherfield. 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