'Coronation Street' Julie Hesmondhalgh taking short break for play

Published Aug 8 2012, 11:01 BST  |  By Paul Millar

Julie Hesmondhalgh has announced that she is taking a short break from filming Coronation Street.

The Hayley Cropper actress is starring in a new stage play called Black Roses at Manchester's Royal Exchange, reports the Coronation Street Blog.

Hesmondhalgh confirmed that she will be off the set for nearly two months, posting on Twitter: "Right that's me done. Bye bye weatherfield til October! #bitoftheatre #sicksinmouth."

Black Roses: The Killing of Sophie Lancaster will tell the story of how a young student was murdered for dressing differently. Hesmondhalgh will play Sophie's mum Sylvia.

Hesmondhalgh, who has held her transsexual Weatherfield role since 1998, previously took a year-long hiatus in 2007.

Poet Simon Armitage will read an elegy to the late teenager in the piece, which premiered on Radio 4 last year to critical acclaim.