Julie Hesmondhalgh attends a launch event for the new Channel 4 series Tip Toe(Image: Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA Wire)
Coronation Street legend Julie Hesmondhalgh has teased fans – by admitting her stint on Celebrity Traitors was nothing like she had imagined. Julie is best known for her role as Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street, making her first appearance on the cobbles in 1998 before leaving in 2014.
Her exit took place after her character was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. And the Hayley mhe made the heartbreaking decision to end her own life before her condition progressed.
Viewers tuned in to the emotional scene as she slipped away while in her husband, Roy Cropper’s, arms.
Hayley was the first transgender character to appear on Coronation Street, and Julie revealed previously that Hayley was supposed to be a short stint before the public fell in love with her character.
She shared: “We played it for real and not for laughs. The most amazing thing happened when the public got behind it. There was a quick re-write and it turned into a real love story.
“What happened was telly magic and there was real chemistry between Hayley and Roy and me and David (Neilson) always got on so well.”
Julie won over fans hearts during her time on Corrie(Image: ITV)
Later this year, Julie will be starring on the second series of BBC Celebrity Traitors. Manchester Evening News caught up with Julie on the red carpet at HOME Cinema for new Channel 4 thriller drama, Tip Toe.
When asked if she was a traitor or faithful, Julie quipped: “I’m not gonna tell you! I’ve got NDAs up to my eyeballs! If I’d tell you that I’d have to kill you! I can’t tell you anything.
“I can’t tell you anything except that it’s an extraordinary experience, and not at all what anybody imagined it to be. It’s going to be a good one, I’ll tell you that!”
Last year, it was an intense final as Nick Mohammed turned on Joe Marler at the last minute and voted him to be banished – with everyone else in agreement, Joe sadly walked away from the prize pot.
In a turn of events, traitor Alan Carr remained undetected and thus he swept the entire amount, £87,500 for his chosen charity – Neuroblastoma UK.
Series One of The Celebrity Traitors debuted on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in October last year, and drew in an average audience of 14.9 across its run, with 15.4 tuning in to watch the finale. It was hailed as the top entertainment episode across the whole market since 2016.
More famous faces will arrive at Ardross Castle in Alness, north of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, thus marking the beginning of the UK’s second Celebrity Traitors.
