Julie Hesmondhalgh, known for her role as Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street, is married to actor and screenwriter Ian Kershaw. The couple met on the set of the ITV soap in 1998, when she first joined as Hayley Cropper and he was playing Malcolm Bradford.
Career and Awards
Julie, 56, appeared on Coronation Street from 1998 until 2014. Her character, Hayley Cropper, was the first transgender character in a British soap opera. The role earned her the Best Serial Drama Performance accolade at the 2014 National Television Awards and the Best Actress title at the 2014 British Soap Awards.
Following her departure from the soap, Julie appeared in programmes including Broadchurch, Catastrophe, Happy Valley, and Mr Bates vs The Post Office. She also won the 2026 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as Joan in the play Punch.
Family Life
Julie and Ian share two daughters. Ian has taken on additional parts on Coronation Street, including characters Duncan Stott and Mick Crompton. He also works as a script writer and has contributed to EastEnders, Casualty, Corrie, and Holby City.
Reflecting on their romance, Julie previously told The Irish Mirror: "It was on my first week of Corrie, he was an actor then but now is a writer, in fact, he writes for Corrie. We became really good pals, then we went out one night for a mate's birthday, and we had been full-on flirting all night."
She added: "At the end of it I said, 'I'm going to marry you', he laughed, and we kissed. He was going for an audition the next day, and I texted him saying, 'I hope you get this job today, because I will expect to be kept in the manner I've become accustomed to when we get married and have our two kids'."
Julie is currently appearing in Celebrity Traitors, which airs on Thursday and Friday nights at 8pm on BBC One.
