Celebrity Traitors’ Julie Hesmondhalgh praises lasting importance of trans Corrie role

Julie Hesmondhalgh has reflected on the lasting importance of her Coronation Street role, which saw her play beloved transgender character Hayley Cropper.

The Celebrity Traitors star, who was banished earlier in the series, played Hayley on Corrie between 1998 and 2014, when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and decided to take her own life, dying in Roy’s arms.

Speaking to Good Housekeeping UK, Hesmondhalgh said: “The short storyline was supposed to be Roy Cropper [David Neilson] falling for Hayley, then running for the hills when she comes out as trans. But everybody loved the relationship.

“It became a key storyline almost by accident, which was the best way, because it wasn’t an issue that was shoehorned in.”

Hayley’s exit was a real tearjerker, with Hesmondhalgh decided to leave Corrie to explore new career options.

Speaking of her exit, Hesmondhalgh said: “There’s a photo of me on the floor, foetal. I was like, ‘What have I done?’

“I have no regrets about leaving, but when I watch the credits and see that so many of the cast and crew names are the same, it feels a bit strange. [But] had I stayed, it would have become embarrassing. Anachronistic

“But I maintain that Hayley and Roy’s love story was important. It got people talking. It’s so upsetting that trans rights have now gone backwards.”

A staunch LGBTQ+ ally, Hesmondhalgh has gone on to appear in a number of queer favourites, like Cucumber, Banana and Doctor Who.

‘It’s so upsetting that trans rights have now gone backwards’

The Celebrity Traitors gave Hesmondhalgh a new platform, on which she could just be herself.

“I couldn’t say no,” she said. “I’m obsessed with it. I watch every iteration, even the one in New Zealand in which they drive their own cars and stay in a s*** hotel. I was so chuffed to be asked.”

Her loveable persona, which saw her fan-girling over co-stars in the opening episode, saw her voted as the most trusted among the cast. Unfortunately, she was banished, and confirmed she was a Faithful, in episode four.

Reflecting on the friendships she made on the BBC show, Hesmondhalgh said: “The extraordinary thing is that you’re all on the same footing. There’s no status at all.

“You have these accelerated friendships because there’s a lot of time off-camera when you’re travelling in cars together and aren’t allowed to discuss the game. People tell you about their lives; I found out so much about people and I was really touched that they trusted me.”

And while she was seen to be close with queer co-stars Sebastian Croft and Bella Ramsey, she revealed Romesh Ranganathan and Ross Kemp were her closest pals in the castle.

She said: “Romesh is one of the greatest human beings. We were in there right at the start, alongside Ross Kemp. The three of us were a very unlikely little threesome. I adored Ross, too.”

Hesmondhalgh will next be on screens in Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms, set to air over the Christmas period.

The full interview can be read now in the December issue of Good Housekeeping UK.

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