Coronation Street’s Hayley Cropper will make something of a ‘return’ next week on the ITV soap, eight years after the Weatherfield favourite said a heartbreaking goodbye.
While Hayley’s appearance unfortunately won't be a physical one, her beloved husband Roy is set to suffer heartbreak when her iconic red anorak returns – only for it to go missing after a clear out at the flat.
ITV spoilers have revealed that in scenes airing next week on the soap, viewers will see Bernie still desperate for some extra cash, forcing her to persuade Roy's niece Nina to let her give the flat a good clean for Roy's birthday.
Finding a box of old clothes, Bernie suggests they donate them to charity. However, Nina fails to spot Hayley’s red anorak in the box.
Roy is seemingly none the wiser until Evelyn presents him with a model train for his birthday – and he quickly recognises it as his own.
As he then realises that the train must have come from the same charity shop where Hayley’s anorak has ended up, Evelyn orders Roy to fire up the Woody.
Her no-nonsense approach then sees Evelyn march into the charity shop and rip the anorak from Joy’s back. As Evelyn heads out, Joy’s left bewildered. But how will Roy react when Evelyn returns with the beloved item?
Julie Hesmondhalgh played Hayley for 16 years and, as the first transgender character in a British soap, earned her a legion of fiercely loyal fans.
Roy and Hayley’s characters became friends after they were introduced by Alma Baldwin but at first it wasn't all plain sailing for the couple and they split when she revealed she was a pre-operative transgender and used to be called Harold.
However, Roy realised he couldn't live without her and she travelled to Amsterdam to undergo the surgery. The pair officially married in 2010 after the law was changed – but when Julie announced her departure from the soap in 2013 her character tragically took her own life amid a terminal pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
She has said how proud of her transgender role on ITV’s Corrie, recalling how the storyline about Hayley and Roy Cropper being unable to wed because she was transgender got a mention in the House of Commons.
She says: “We got thanked in Parliament because people’s attitudes did shift and they really wanted Hayley and Roy to get married.
“And in those 16 years they were allowed to get married because the law changed. I’m not saying Corrie made that happen but they were definitely part of that.”
Since leaving Corrie in 2014 Julie has worked in theatre and had television roles in Broadchurch, Happy Valley and Doctor Who.
