Sad news just in from ITV. Julie Hesmondhalgh has announced she is to leave her role as Hayley Cropper after over 15 years with Coronation Street. Julie, who has just returned to our screens after a break to do theatre, will leave towards the end of the year.The full story is available at the official Coronation Street site at itv.com. It states that it's Julie's decision to leave as she wants to concentrate on theatre work. If that's true, we'll all be sorry to see Julie go, but we wish her very well for the future.
But, as new Corrie producer Stuart Blackburn started work this week, is Hayley the first casualty of his new broom brushing clean, I wonder? And who will be next?
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Wow! I wonder what kind of storyline they'll come up with for her departure. A divorce isn't likely - they're the only devoted couple on the Street. And how will they find a new partner for Roy??
ReplyDeleteThis sucks.
~JB in Canada
No, I don't think this was Blackburn's doing. Julie has been doing extra projects for awhile now and this is most likely her own decision. It makes me very sad because there will be no more Roy and Hayley, the street's best couple and most stable relationship. There MUST NOT be a divorce therefore, Hayley will probably die! Agggghhh!!!
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ReplyDeleteMy worry is it will be like when the actor who played Ernie Bishop left. They could see no way to split the Bishops up so Ernie had to die. I really hope they don't kill her off!
Not happy... this is the last actor I would like to see leave the street right now. I can think of 10 others who I would happily order a hapney cab for (and even drive it) to get them off the street. Julie has done a wonderful job and the Roy/Haley storyline has been fab, engaging and REAL. Very sorry to see her go and wish her all the very best. Blackburn has a huge set of flats to fill now... just leave our Roy on the street!
ReplyDeleteI really like Hayley - will be very interesting to see how they write her out...perhaps she will go off to America to help Roy's mum and just never return.
ReplyDeleteI really hope that they dont have Roy having an affair with Mary which Hayley finds out about.
ReplyDeleteOh, say it isn't so....NO!! I really could never have envisioned Corrie without Hayley and now Roy will be on his own. Sad day for fans but I wish Julie all the best. Maybe she could come back at some point so please don't kill her off.
ReplyDeleteI thought about Ernie Bishop as well Graeme! The Croppers can't divorce because they're the most secure couple on the street. But who knows? I'll be sad to see Hayley go. She was No. 9 in our poll to find Corrie's favourite characters.
ReplyDeleteThe best actors leave if they're young enough to concentrate on other work. Good luck to Julie, I'm sure she'll get no end of offers. They could send Hayley to a developing country - permanent VSO - where she may live happily forever, or die in some years to come from a tropical disease. I do hope Hayley doesn't have an 'explosive' exit at the end of the year. It would be much more interesting for them to stay married but live apart, thus keeping Roy off-limits to other advances.
ReplyDeleteI am so upset at this news. Hayley is a fantastic character beautifully played by Julie Hesmondhalgh. She is easily in my top 10 of Corrie characters.
ReplyDeleteI believe the only way for her to go is to die: a quiet and peaceful death.
I love Hayley but she has hardly been on screen recently. If it was a decision by the producer then I fear on where the programme is going as Roy and Hayley are the kind of warm, quirky, loveable people the Street has always done so well and we will end up with a load of Stella clones that could be seen on any soap.
ReplyDeleteI don't see how they can split up this couple though without the death of Hayley. To write her out as Irving apart from Roy for any length if time would be wrong.
Great loss to the Street in my opinion.
This was not the producer's decision...
ReplyDeleteIt was the decision lof a brave, versatile actress who wants to spread her wings! :)
They only way I could see Hayley leaving is if she's killed off. I really hope it's not a cheating storyline that causes it (although I am not crazy about killing her off either).
ReplyDeleteAnother nail in the coffin for my Corrie habit. I have been put off by the sex and sleaze characters. Sunita was decent, but look what they did to her. And now Hayley. Betty is dead. That will leave Rita and Emily. As soon as Hayley goes, I think I will quit this soap.
ReplyDeleteNOOOOOOOOOOO :(
ReplyDeleteThanks Annnie ;-)
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm going to hope against hope that they find some rational way to leave the door open when she leaves, just in case. I can't bear the idea of Roy without Hayley. Missionary work would do. An industrial accident. Something to do with Becky. Or Christian. :(
ReplyDeletethe only other possibility is that Roy and Hayley leave together which is also horrible but at least they'd be together.
ReplyDeleteOne very sad fan here :(
ReplyDeleteI doubt this is Stuart Blackburn's doing. It's hardly a surprise though. I can't remember the last time Hayley had a decent storyline, (she was really just a bystander in the Roy/Sylvia story). No actress as good as Julie Hes is going to be content just to butter barmcakes for years. Very, very sad for the programme but the right decision for Julie Hes I think.
ReplyDeleteif they want to kill some people off then it has to be audrey and leeanne audrey is sooooo past it and leeanne cant act
ReplyDeleteHi all, new reader to the site, and like many I'm so sad to hear she's leaving; I really loved that sweet moment she and Roy had in the cafe when she returned a few episodes ago. All I can wish for is that they do NOT put Roy with Mary!
ReplyDeleteI hope she's wearing her red parka (I think you call it an anorak in the UK) when she does leave!
ReplyDeleteRebecca
I think I'll tune out on Corrie for good too, once Julie is gone. There is only a handful of decent characters left on the street and it annoys me no end to watch it now, so there's really no point..for me anyway.
ReplyDeleteToo bad..oh well..that's soapland for you.
This is sad. I don't how they can resolve Roy and Haley. I don't want to see him with Mary.
ReplyDeleteI agree, most of the characters are annoying now.