Sources: Corrie.net and Wikipedia
When Hayley met Roy
Hayley first appeared on Coronation Street on 26 January 1998 with a job at Firman's Freezers. Hayley became firm friends with Alma Baldwin who tried to pair her off with Curly Watts before Hayley became friends with Roy Cropper. Meetings and dates followed and they became close; it was obviously the first relationship for both of them. After a romantic meal, Hayley decides to trust Roy with her greatest secret.
Although she looked like a normal woman, she was not. She still had to undergo the final operation that would transform her into a complete physical female. Roy was initially horrified and rejected Hayley for a while. Hayley then discovered that her father had left her a sizable amount of money - tens of thousands of pounds! She decided to fulfill her dream and went to Amsterdam for the final part of her treatment, the operation. In a touching farewell scene, they said their goodbyes, and Roy gave Hayley a book about "Automotive Engines", but inside was a beautiful silver locket; a token of his true feelings.
Operation Amsterdam
After her operation, Hayley rented a room on a houseboat in Amsterdam, to recuperate, and wrote Roy a letter. Shortly afterwards she was delighted to find him unexpectedly on her doorstep. After spending a few days together, unsuccessfully trying to find out how they felt about each other, Hayley finally got a sign from Roy that he really cared a great deal for her, when he left behind an engraved watch as a present. As a result, she caught him at the airport and accompanied him back to Weatherfield, to Roy's delight.
Secret’s out at Underworld
Hayley then started work at Underworld but when discussing a confusion by the DSS over Hayley's name, Alma accidently told Mike about Hayley's past. He was appalled and unable to come to terms with it, and fired Hayley. When threatened with a possible strike by the factory girls, and constant hostility from Alma over the issue, he relented and rehired her. But Mike's treatment of Hayley was dreadful and Roy wouldn't stand for it, throwing a pint over Mike in the Rovers after he made more nasty remarks about Hayley.
Hayley then moved into the flat above the café with Roy and he proposed to her - but Hayley had to decline, due to the British legal system not allowing transsexual marriages. She then bought Gail’s share of the cafe and became Roy's sleeping partner in their new café business - Roy's Rolls on Victoria Street.
Wedding No. 1
With her Great Uncle Bert on hand to give the bride away, Alma as matron of honour and Toyah and Sarah-Lou as bridesmaids, Hayley designed and made her own wedding dress. Roy and Hayley made it to the church, only to be foiled by Les Battersby, who had tipped off the press and was keen to see the wedding plastered over the papers. A distraught Roy and Hayley returned to the cafe, thinking the ceremony a washout. Hayley was truly devastated, but was surprised by Roy when she came down from the cafe to find everyone ready to perform the ceremony there. They were wed on April 23, 1999.
Hayley finally broaches the subject of children with Roy and their foster kids include Wayne Hayes, Jackie Mosely and Fiz Brown.
Hayley’s son Christian
Following the death of her aunt Monica in September 2007, Hayley discovers she has an adult son, Christian Gatley. She hires a private investigator to track him down, and eventually introduces herself as his aunt. Hayley finally reveals the truth that she's his mum, Christian doesn't take it well, lashes out and hits Hayley across the face.
Africa
Hayley leaves the Street in October 2007 to go on volunteer work in Mozambique for a year.
Hayley returns from Africa in November 2008 with the secret that she’s fallen for Olaf, the project team leader. She decides not to return to Underworld and opts for a new challenge as a social worker. However, her chances are ruined when her police record (for the abduction of foster child Wayne Hayes in 2001), is revealed, ruling her ineligible to work with children. She subsequently continues working in the café and then gets the job of supervisor at Underworld in 2009.
Held Hostage
Hayley is held hostage with Carla Connor in Underworld by Tony Gordon. Later that same week, Roy proposes to Hayley, which she accepts.
Romania
Such is the popularity of the Croppers, Roy and Hayley star in 2009 in a Coronation Street spin-off DVD Romanian Holiday.
The Gender Recognition Act was passed in 2004 and and Roy and Hayley plan their official, legal union for 30 August 2010. In Roy's wedding speech he says: "It is 11 years since we last registered to be married and we were informed that we could not. We have remained still and the world has turned to meet us."
The mother in law
Bad, sad, news...
In 2013, Hayley’s told by her doctor that a blockage in her bile duct may be cancer and a CT scan confirms stage-two pancreatic cancer. Hayley decides to make the most of the time she has left and heads to Blackpool with Roy, who makes one of Hayley's dreams come true as they dance at the Tower Ballroom.
Christmas 2013 will be the last Christmas that Hayley and Roy share together.
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Thank you for this, Flaming Nora, it was lovely.
ReplyDeleteA love tribute to a great character. Just shows when Corrie get it right, they get it spot on! ..
ReplyDeleteThanks, Flaming Nora, for this awesome retrospective. I loved every minute of it - not just because of the history of Roy and Hayley, but also because of the chance to see many of my favorite characters from the past, most notably Spider and Alma.
ReplyDeleteBev
That was amazing. Thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteBless your heart, Flaming Nora. That was a fitting tribute. It makes me wonder and worry though. What are we going to do for a beacon of decency when Hayley's gone?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much.
ReplyDeleteLovely tribute.... >snivvle<
ReplyDeletePerfect! Posts like this are why I keep reading. Thanks, Flaming Nora.
ReplyDeleteGreat tribute.
ReplyDeleteI hope they don't make Roy go completely off the scale. I know he has no family, and due to her real-life illness, we won't see his mother, but I fear they will show Roy having some sort of breakdown.
I saw Wednesday's scene where Anna tells the Rovers Hayley has died. That was bad enough. I hope tonight, Hayley dying isn't the final scene at 8.55. I want to see some of Roy after Hayley goes.
Just hope Fiz doesn't get upset. Friends of mine who rarely watch Corrie always bring up Fiz giving birth noisily during the LIVE ep whenever we talk about Corrie.