Big Sad News: Coronation Street Star Hayley Cropper Opens Up About Dark Times in Exploitative Project

Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh, known for her iconic role as Hayley Cropper, recently shared details about a deeply challenging experience working on the play Punch. The production tells the real-life story of a grieving mother who meets the man responsible for her son’s death after a fatal single punch. Julie revealed that performing this emotional play, especially in front of the victim’s parents, was one of the most difficult things she’s ever done.

Speaking on Loose Women, Julie described how intense it was to rehearse in front of David and Joan Hodkinson, whose son James was killed in 2011. She admitted that acting out such a devastating chapter of their lives while they watched felt “borderline exploitative.” Despite the emotional toll, Julie praised the Hodkinsons for their understanding and generosity in allowing their story to be told. She emphasized the importance of sharing such stories and advocated for continued support for the arts.

Julie’s appearance on Loose Women marked her return to the show after 25 years. She was previously a panelist when the program was filmed in Manchester. Fans will remember her powerful portrayal of Hayley Cropper on Coronation Street from 1998 to 2014. Her final scenes, which aired in January 2014, left viewers heartbroken as Hayley chose to end her life after being diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.

Julie isn’t the only Coronation Street alum to join the Loose Women panel. Sue Cleaver, known for playing Eileen Grimshaw, became a regular panelist in 2024 after several guest appearances.

Stay tuned for more updates and behind-the-scenes stories from your favorite Coronation Street stars!

𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 “𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆 & 𝑾𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆: 𝒇𝙞𝒍𝙢𝒔𝙥𝒐𝙞𝒍𝙚𝒓𝙨.𝙞𝒏𝙛𝒐” 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧-𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬.