Julie Hesmondhalgh still gets excited when her former ‘Coronation Street’ character is mentioned on the show.
The 44-year-old actress played transsexual Hayley Cropper on the series for 15 years before she left in 2014.
Despite being gone for over a year, Julie still hasn’t been able to fully let go of her character and is always thrilled when Hayley’s name is uttered by her widower Roy Cropper (David Neilson) or anyone else in Weatherfield.
She said: "The show was such a big part of my life. I don’t think I’ve quite processed my departure. I still watch the soap when I can and I get a real kick every time my name is mentioned on the show as it keeps Hayley alive; it means she’ still going strong."
Hayley – who was the first transgender character to be featured in a British soap opera – was killed off last January in an emotional emotional pancreatic cancer storyline which dealt with the moral issues of euthanasia.
Julie was stunned by the reaction her final storyline prompted among viewers and she felt it was an incredible end to time on ‘Coronation Street’.
Speaking to You magazine, she said: "I was so upset when I watched the episode when Roy spreads Hayley’s ashes in Blackpool; I was in bits. All the same, the time was right for me to go and the work I did on ‘Coronation Street’ has paved the way for me to do other amazing things."
Julie can next be seen in new Channel 4 drama ‘Cucumber’, which has been written by former ‘Doctor Who’ showrunner Russell T. Davies.
Julie Hesmondhalgh excited by Corrie mentions
