one last time to stop Hayley but she is adamant. Roy makes sure that she is comfortable and selects a piece of music that they both like. Hayley tells Roy that he must not touch the glass containing the lethal cocktail. Prepared to drink the cocktail, Hayley is interrupted by Tyrone who is looking for Ruby's toy. Roy plays "The Lark Ascending" by Vaughan Williams, and sits on the bed with Hayley. After one last moment together, she drinks the cocktail. Worried something is not right, Anna closes the café and sits downstairs and Carla knocks on the door, demanding to see Hayley. Anna lets her in and tries to stop Carla knocking on the flat door, but she does. There is no answer, so Anna eventually unlocks the door with her spare key and they enter the flat together. Calling out, Anna and Carla go to the bedroom and, to their shock, find a deceased Hayley on the bed, with Roy's arm around her. Hayley is later cremated following a humanist funeral. Character creation Casting Initially, it was intended that Hayley would only appear for two months, it was thought that this would help increase ratings as well as show a new side to Roy Cropper (David Neilson). Actor Julie Hesmondhalgh first came to the attention of the casting director while dressed in drag in a production of 'Much Ado About Nothing'. Hesmondhalgh only knew she was auditioning to play a "fun" character, so arrived "all Bet Lynch, in my leopard skin and red lippy". 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." The character of Hayley Cropper is around four years older than Hesmondhalgh. Personality and identity What's on TV describes the character as quiet, and kind-hearted. For a short period of time, after the actor took a one-year break from the show, the producers decided to change her ways. After a brief period of resettlement, she resumed her more familiar temperament of being generally supportive and friendly to the other characters. Character development Relationships Hayley's only romantic relationship was with Roy Cropper. The characters were first friends and they started a relationship, until Hayley revealed her past history. Roy initially rejected her, but missed their friendship and three months later, followed her to Amsterdam where she was