A NORTH-EAST Coronation Street fan has brought her passion to the page by charting the highs and lows of a touching love affair of the TV soap’s first transgender character.

When the character Hayley Patterson first appeared on Corrie 16 years ago, the storyline was always going to attract attention.

Hayley, the first transgender character to have such a major role in a TV soap, set the “Street” alive with gossip and also attracted the attention of quiet man Roy Cropper.

Over the following years the viewing public took them to their hearts, and one North-East fan in particular avidly followed their every move – and now the high and lows of that most unlikely and touching love affair have been put in print.

Glenda Young works as an executive assistant at the University of Sunderland, but when not dealing with professors and students the lifelong Coronation Street fan is editor of the acclaimed Coronation Street Blog.

Now Ms Young has written A Perfect Duet. The Diary of Roy and Hayley Cropper. An Unofficial Coronation Street Companion.

The books gathers Roy and Hayley’s storyline all in one place, offering fans the chance to relive all of their relationship, from their first meeting to Hayley’s sad farewell.

The book has the support of Hayley herself, with actress Julie Hesmondhalgh contributing a moving foreword about her character.

Ms Hesmondhalgh said: “What a treat this lovely little book is.

“I cannot lie, it was a bit emotional reading through it - reliving, in brief, 16 of the happiest years of my life, namely those spent playing Hayley, in partnership with the great David Neilson as Roy. And there is so much I’d forgotten.”

The book is published by FBS Publishing Ltd, and is available from all good bookstores and online in paperback and eBook.

Signed copies are available to order online from: www.fbs-publishing.co.uk.