To prepare her body for surgery, Hayley was given hormones and she began identifying herself as a woman. Strange happenings begin occurring in the caf and Roy thinks Beth Tinker (Lisa George) and her family are responsible. He persuaded her that they should work on their relationship, and as a result, she returned to Weatherfield where she became a machinist in Mike Baldwin's (Johnny Briggs) lingerie factory, Underworld. Chesney thought the Croppers would be a soft touch and laid it on with stories about how neglected he was at home. 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. 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. Roy organises a romantic dinner for their third wedding anniversary but Hayley is upset as she completely forgot. After rummaging through her things, she finds a prescription for some hormone tablets and assumes Hayley is menopausal until Tracy tells her that Hayley used to be a man. Hayley enjoys their company, but after Fiz and Tyrone arrive with their young children, Hayley finds herself falling asleep. Anne Malone froze to death when she was accidentally locked in a freezer at Freshcos while gaining revenge on Curly Watts for rejecting her. In particular, she never felt right in her body, especially after puberty which she described as "like sores breaking out". "I know. His bad treatment of her intensified when Roy threw a pint over him in the Rovers Return in retaliation for calling Hayley a freak. The Croppers were reconciled when Roy bought Hayley a salsa dress as a present. They later joined the Weatherfield Operatic Society together, with Hayley encouraging a terrified Roy to try for The Sound of Music with her. Hayley was the first transgender character in a British soap opera and was the first permanent transgender character in the world of serialised drama. I know you do!" Born as a male named Harold Patterson in 1966, Hayley started treatment to physically become female when she was in her twenties. Producer Brian Park: [We] didn't want to be seen as chasing their tails so much. 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. Roy initially rejected her, but missed their friendship and three months later, followed her to Amsterdam where she was living on a houseboat, recuperating from her surgery. In 2013, Hayley battled pancreatic cancer. 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. Hayley is delighted to learn that Roy has booked a day off so they can go to Blackpool. Well, I was gobsmacked, of course, but I thought it was a fantastic idea. Hayley gave Becky her job back at the cafe and from then on there was more trust in their relationship. Hayley had also been a keen bowler since the 1980s, when she competed in the East Lancashire Semi-Pro Guild. In December 2011, when Tracy Barlow had a miscarriage which she claimed was caused by Becky pushing her down the stairs, Becky defiantly refused to take the blame, claiming that Tracy had lost the babies before the stairs incident and slipped down her staircase of her own accord. She briefly left him and went to stay with Alma, before deciding to forgive him. Hayley Patterson was a shy shop supervisor at Firman's Freezers. 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. On her last day, Hayley prepared a lethal cocktail, instructing Roy not to touch it, and ironed Roy's best shirt for the funeral. 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. ", 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. 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. This causes an argument and Hayley moves in with Fiz and Tyrone. On her return to the caf, she makes it clear that she blames Roy and this causes problems. Upset, Hayley runs home and is followed by Sylvia. But a lot of people have said because it's been so true to Roy and Hayley, they've found it moving. Interrupting Angela typing the words you're next on the factory computer, Hayley was asked by Angela to go to Sheffield and post a letter containing the threat. A police search for the couple ensued, with the papers reporting them as kidnappers and painting Alex as a concerned stepfather. 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. What's on TV describes the character as quiet, and kind-hearted. 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. Hayley felt compelled to track down her son and hired a private detective, who identified her son as Christian Gatley, manager of a record shop. Unable to return to Firman's Freezers, Hayley got a job at Underworld knicker factory when Roy won a bet with Mike Baldwin that Hayley could out-machine any of his girls. On getting home, Hayley is stunned to see Christian and tells him that she is too tired but will see him another time. 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. Furious that the police weren't investigating Alex, Hayley refused to accept her bail condition and was remanded in custody. David Neilson has appeared to confirm he wont return as Roy Cropper on Coronation Street. and that there are other things I want to try. Roy and Hayley see an opportunity to raise a child and pay Tracy 25,000. 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. Shared exclusively by Hypebae, the visual is . Hayley credited Carla for being the reason she was still alive, and the two became close, if unlikely, friends. The joke was that Roy Cropper (David Neilson) was going to go on a series . Rejected by Roy, Hayley confided her troubles in Alma, also revealing her sex change to her. Roy regretted his harshness with Hayley and asked her to be his friend again, which she gratefully accepted, but despite liking her as a person, her sex change still made him uncomfortable and their relationship stalled. Christian brings Sam and Maisie to the caf and Maisie is intrigued by Roy's train collection, while Hayley and Christian talk upstairs. 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. Hayley remained there longer than Roy, returning on 9th January 2013. This prevents Roy and Hayley fostering, or working with, any more young people. 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. The doctor tells Hayley that there is a blockage in her bile duct and Hayley tells Sylvia that she may have cancer and breaks down in her arms. In 1999, the writers decided that Hayley and Roy would marry. She returned in Episode 6950 on 17th November 2008. While waiting for him to call back, she focuses on throwing a birthday party for Roy in The Rovers. Who was the father of Heather Trotts baby? Their row led to Hayley leaving Roy to stay with Fiz and Tyrone Dobbs at 9 Coronation Street, where she had a collapse due to an infection and was taken to hospital. It was revealed that Hayley had applied for, and received, her new birth certificate, and so, after some disagreements about the cost and motives for marriage, the plans were made for the wedding. When she learned Hayley would be transgender, she was nervous, but "then it dawned on me that this was actually my 'dream job' and I desperately wanted it. I did think that people might be angry about it because a lot of people don't want to be watching Corrie and to be seeing this sort of thing, especially with a character that's likable like Hayley. The Croppers' relationship becomes increasingly strained, including a suicide attempt by Roy, but they pull through. The Croppers' problems were forgotten temporarily when the couple discovered that someone had been in the cafe overnight and moved things around, on multiple occasions. Hesmondhalgh only knew she was auditioning to play a "fun" character, so arrived "all Bet Lynch, in my leopard skin and red lippy". 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 . They watch the CCTV footage and it proves that Roy is behind all of the rearranged furniture. In 2010, following a discussion of the ramifications of their not being legally married, Roy and Hayley decided to make it official. At the hospital, the consultant explains that Hayley has an infection and needs to stay overnight. Hayley's prognosis was devastating for the Croppers and their close friends, with Roy constantly fussing over her and trying to keep her from tiring herself. They went on to be one of the longest-lasting couples in Coronation Street history, something which pleased the actors. In 2006, he ignored Hayley in favour of his friend Clifford Ford, who loved trains almost as much as Roy did. Another friend of Hayley's from this period was Ruth Audsley, who hid her attraction to Harold. In 2013, Carla was one of the first people to find out about Hayley's cancer treatment. 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. She left Weatherfield immediately, with Liam Connor agreeing to keep her job open at the factory. In September 2007, Hayley was saddened to learn of her Aunt Monica's death. The Croppers usually played a supportive role in her dramas, even those which were of her own making; in 2011, they convinced Dev and Sunita Alahan not to press charges against her for robbing the Corner Shop. [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]. In 2007, Hayley discovered that she had a son, Christian Gatley, fathered before her sex change, and admitted to Roy that she'd lied about being a virgin when they met. Christian was weirded out by her revelation and punched Hayley when she ran after him, leaving her bleeding on the ground. She was married to Roy Cropper and together they were devoted foster parents to many Street faves including Becky Granger, Fiz. The episode attracted 9.7 million viewers the show's highest figure in almost a year. While there, Christian returns to the street and winds Fiz up about Hayley so she tells him that Hayley has cancer in an angry outburst. Maisie, however, tells her that she hopes she gets better soon and that she would love to come again. 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. David is 69 years old, and will turn 70 in March 2019. Hayley got in touch with Christian and he turned up at the cafe to see her, having stood her up at their arranged meeting in Bury two days prior due to his uncertainty about seeing her again. They've got to be a bit more imaginative, so it's great - it works out good for us." In February, Curly and Alma broke the news to Hayley that her father had passed away. When Jane passed away a short time later, Hayley struggled to cope and became tough on Roy for not supporting her. Upon awakening, Hayley looked at the clock and realised that not enough time had elapsed for the operation to have been successful, and it was confirmed by the consultant, Mr Peakman, that the tumour was inoperable as it encased a vital vein. 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. The Croppers fled from the wedding with Patience, but faced immediate pressure from the Barlows to give Tracy back the baby. She shares a very ordinary family life in Derbyshire with her husband, screenwriter and actor Ian Kershaw (they met on the soap, when he played a reporter on the Weatherfield Gazette) and their two daughters, aged 13 and 10. (Final line, to husband Roy). 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