Hayley Cropper
| Hayley Cropper | |||||||||||||||||
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| Coronation Street character | |||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Julie Hesmondhalgh | ||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1998–2014 | ||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 26 January 1998 | ||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 22 January 2014 | ||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Brian Park | ||||||||||||||||
| Spin-off appearances |
Romanian Holiday (2009) "East Street" (2010) |
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| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Factory supervisor Café Waitress |
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| Father | Harry Patterson |
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| Mother | Maggie Patterson |
| Husband | Roy Cropper (2010–2014) |
| Sons | Christian Gatley |
| Grandsons | Sam Gatley |
| Granddaughters | Maisie Gatley |
| Aunts | Monica Morgan |
| Other relatives | Bert (great-uncle) |
Hayley Anne Cropper (previously Harold Patterson and Hayley Patterson) was a fictional character from the British television soap opera, Coronation Street, played by actress Julie Hesmondhalgh. The character first appeared in the episode first broadcast on 26 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. She is perhaps best known for her marriage to Roy Cropper (David Neilson).
Hesmondhalgh won numerous awards for her portrayal of Hayley, but announced her departure from the show on 11 January 2013. Her final scenes were filmed on 18 November 2013 and aired on 22 January 2014. In the episode, Hayley takes her own life, after living with terminal pancreatic cancer. Hesmondhalgh has insisted that it was not a "right to die" storyline. Hayley's funeral aired on 31 January 2014.
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 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. 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 Patterson was a shy shop supervisor at Firman's Freezers. Her friend/colleague Alma Baldwin (Amanda Barrie) introduced her to Roy Cropper (David Neilson) and they became friends — until Hayley told him that she was a pre-operative male-to-female transsexual and used to be called Harold. Roy cannot cope and initially rejects her but realizes that their friendship is more important than Hayley's secret. After affirming their mutual attraction, Hayley goes to Amsterdam for private sex reassignment surgery. When she returns to Weatherfield, she starts work at Underworld. Hayley chooses not to disclose her transgender status but her secret is revealed when Mike discovers a Tax Office error, showing her birth name, Harold. Mike sacks her as a result and although the factory staff and Street residents initially taunt her, she gets her job back and most Street residents gradually accept her.
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