However, having got wind of the relationship, Les Battersby told Stuart that Hayley used to be a man. While minister Jessica Lundy and Spider Nugent kept the reporters occupied, Emily intercepted the wedding party and told them to turn around. However, some abused their kindly nature. 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. Much of the drama in Hayley's final months concerned Roy's refusal to accept her plans. 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. Hayley continued to work throughout, insisting on giving herself a sense of normality and asking Roy not to mention the word cancer in her presence. Due to her longstanding feud with Tracy, Becky was shunned by the residents, with only Roy and her sister Kylie Platt believing her. All the pain they had gone through was forgotten as Hayley and Roy began a new life with their daughter, whom they named Patience Cropper. In 2011, when Fiz was on remand for murders which John had committed, she asked the Croppers to look after her daughter Hope until she was transferred to the Mother and Baby unit in prison. 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. Hayley enjoyed talking to Christian about Harold, but while she plucked up the courage to tell him the truth, her lies became more elaborate, much to Roy's disapproval, whose one piece of advice on the matter was that she couldn't build a meaningful relationship on a lie. She is taken care of by paramedics and she and Roy tell one another they love each other before watching the factory blow up, after Tony sets fire to the building, killing himself but Carla manages to untie herself and escapes. 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. Hayley's exit storyline saw her diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and, in a story twist, decide to end her life on her own terms. In 1999, the writers decided that Hayley and Roy would marry. 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. In many respects, the Croppers were very different and this was reflected in their other interests. [15] The official LGBT History Month website includes Hayley as one of the important famous LGBT people in their history, even though she is a fictional character.[16]. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. It wasn't until 2009 that Hayley took on a greater significance in her life; when Carla's husband Tony Gordon made a deathbed confession to arranging the murder of Liam Connor to Roy, only to recover, Roy became obsessed with exposing him. Hayley was the more open emotionally of the two, with Roy wearing a constant stone face. "The character of Hayley was originally written as a joke. Roy and his late wife Hayley fostered Wayne back in 2001 in a bid to get him away from his abusive stepfather, but he was eventually returned home leaving the couple devastated. Her character Hayley took her own life - with the help of beloved husband Roy - after a hellish battle with pancreatic cancer. 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. Photo Credit: Matrix Pictures Before you think Roy and Daniel are inseparable, Daniel, in real-life, is married to Jane Neilson who is not involved with Coronation Street. What do you think about that?' After . Devastated but philosophical, Hayley begins to make a bucket list of everything that she wants to do before she dies, one of which is teaching Roy how to drive. Transgender campaigners were initially upset that a cisgender woman had been chosen for the part but later praised Hesmondhalgh's dedication and sensitivity. She was subsequently booked in for a more in-depth CT scan, after which the doctors broke the news to her that she had pancreatic cancer, and her chances of survival were only one in five. Roy then assures Hayley that he is not angry, and she confides in Carla before going to the hospital, preparing for her operation. While waiting for him to call back, she focuses on throwing a birthday party for Roy in The Rovers. (First line, to Curly Watts). Hayley realises that she has to tell Roy so goes home and tells Roy and Sylvia. 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. 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. In an eventful six years in the Street, Becky loved and lost, achieving some of her dreams but constantly arriving back at square one, partly because she always thought that any happiness in her life was temporary and sooner or later she'd blow it. While Hayley is recovering, Roy accidentally tells Anna about her suicide wish. Coronation Street's handling of transgender issues, the uncertainty of whether her partner would accept her gender identity and the inability of transgender people to adopt children or marry, has been praised by transgender groups. He was collected by his stepfather Alex Swinton and eventually returned to the children's home. Hayley returned to work but, dazed by the news, she broke down in front of the girls, and privately informed Carla of her diagnosis. David Neilson has appeared to confirm he wont return as Roy Cropper on Coronation Street. Hayley is delighted to learn that Roy has booked a day off so they can go to Blackpool. They buy each other gifts and want to be alone, but the day is interrupted by visits from friends and neighbours. ", Reaction to the character improved over time, with praise focusing on Hayley's relationship with Roy. Although he took Hayley's revelation about her sex badly, Roy pursued her to Amsterdam, where she was having the final part of her treatment, and they returned to Weatherfield together as a proper couple. A police search for the couple ensued, with the papers reporting them as kidnappers and painting Alex as a concerned stepfather. I keep my chin tucked in and my head down and my hands in front of me or under the table, because she would want to conceal her masculine hands. Was Hayley from Corrie a man in real life? What can I text my friend to make her smile? After her operation, Hayley remained in Amsterdam and rented a houseboat, intending to stay for a while. The woman that inspired Coronation Street's Hayley Cropper has spoken publicly about being transgender for the first time. Roy and Hayley shared a caring, trusting relationship, successful partly because they were friends as well as husband and wife. 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. Hayley had also been a keen bowler since the 1980s, when she competed in the East Lancashire Semi-Pro Guild. At the age of 46 years old David made his debut on Coronation Street. The character Roy Cropper is played by 72-year old English actor Daniel Neilson who has been invested in the role since 1995. In 2013, Hayley battled pancreatic cancer. 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. However, with some prompting by Alma, he surprised Hayley by turning up at the disco dressed as John Travolta and showed that his dancing lessons hadn't gone to waste. They decide to go camping in a bid to mend their issues. Prepared to drink the cocktail, Hayley is interrupted by Tyrone who is looking for Ruby's toy. [4] In the episode, Hayley takes her own life, after living with terminal pancreatic cancer. On her return to the caf, she makes it clear that she blames Roy and this causes problems. As the day arrived, the wedding party was just about to arrive when the press turned up at the church. In the middle of the ceremony, Tracy arrived and caused a scene by shouting for Roy, resulting in Steve having her ejected. 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. 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. She confides in her, telling her that she is frightened of dying. In Roy, Hayley had found someone who was similarly set apart from the world around him, and although Roy had trouble expressing his feelings, he greatly enjoyed Hayley's company. Roy cannot cope and initially rejects her but realises that their friendship is more important than Hayley's secret. Their reunion was cemented when Hayley was taken hostage at the factory by a maniacal Tony Gordon, escaping after her fellow hostage Carla Connor appealed to Tony's better side and persuaded him to let Hayley go. Chesney thought the Croppers would be a soft touch and laid it on with stories about how neglected he was at home. The character first appeared in the episode first broadcast on 26 January 1998. Born as a male named Harold Patterson in 1966, Hayley started treatment to physically become female when she was in her twenties. 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. Hesmondhalgh won numerous awards for her portrayal of Hayley, but announced her departure from the show on 11 January 2013. For Hayley's sake, he gave his approval, but he let his true feelings slip on occasion. 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. When Julie announced she was leaving Coronation Street in 2013,. It being a big step for them, Hayley and Roy were very attentive and enthusiastic, much to Jackie's chagrin, but overall it was a pleasant experience for them. Hayley was so glad to have a friend that she started following Alma around and bought her an expensive sweater. Hayley insists that they attend a cancer support group, where they meet Jane Rayner (Heather Bleasdale) and her husband Jeff (Jim Millea). He only set Hayley free when Carla pleaded with him, and the incident ended with Tony perishing in a blaze he started himself. When she met Roy in 1998, a kinship was developed as they were both lonely, introspective people. 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. Hayley was run off her feet looking after Hope but was sad when the time came to give her up. 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. With Alma as Matron of Honour, Martin Platt as Best Man, and her Great Uncle Bert as Father of the Bride, Hayley and Roy were married on 23rd April 1999. After a nap, Hayley is determined to go to The Rovers for a Christmas drink, but Roy wants her to take it easy. 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). Roy arrives back at the caf and is confronted by Gloria Price (Sue Johnston) with "customer feedback". I think maybe Ann McManus came up with it. One step away from living rough and always in some sort of trouble with the police, about the only thing Becky had going for her was her 'friendship' with Kelly Crabtree, who she betrayed by letting her take the blame for thefts at the factory. Hayley gets fed up with people being sympathetic so she and Roy go on holiday before her operation to remove her tumour. 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