Hayley role is out now

CORRIE favourite Julie Hesmondhalgh has told of the pressures she faced as Hayley Cropper for being a woman playing a transgender character.

The actress came under fire from campaign groups that were unhappy she got the part over a trans actor in 1998.

But she said: “I still maintain, to this day, that it would have been unbearable pressure to be in that show at that time if you were actually transgender, it would have been too much I think.”

Julie says she could not play Hayley now. She added: “I think people would’ve been like: ‘Well why is she playing a trans character?’”