Coronation Street's Julie Hesmondhalgh in controversial assisted suicide storyline Julie Hesmondhalgh plays Hayley Cropper who is suffering from cancer She ends her own life in the soap despite her husband's objections The actress, 43, said she is in favour of allowing assisted suicides Hayley Cropper's final moments will be screened across two episodes next Monday By Amie Keeley and Rob Cooper A Coronation Street actress who is seen in the soap taking a cocktail of drugs to kill herself after being diagnosed with a terminal illness has said that assisted suicide should be legalised. Julie Hesmondhalgh, 43, plays Hayley Cropper who is suffering from incurable pancreatic cancer and decides to end her life to stop the pain. Viewers will see her drink a cocktail of drugs before dying in the arms of her weeping husband Roy, who did not want her to give up her fight against the illness. Actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, seen here playing Hayley Cropper alongside her husband, Roy, in Coronation Street, has spoken out in favour of legalising assisted suicide Hayley, who has been in the programme since 1998, will use a cocktail of drugs to kill herself The controversial episode will be aired on ITV next week after a series of high-profile so called right to die cases have gone before the courts. Locked-in syndrome sufferer Tony Nicklinson asked the courts for permission to end his own life with a doctor's help. The 58-year-old was left paralysed from the neck down and unable to speak after having a major stroke. Unlike Julie Hesmondhalgh's on-screen character, he was unable to commit suicide unassisted because of his disabilities. He died from ill health last year after the High Court ruled doctors could not help him kill himself - although his case will still go before the Supreme Court so they can rule on the issue. Mrs Hesmondhalgh - a member of the Humanist Association, which supports assisted suicides - said she could not imagine how anyone dealing with such an illness in either themselves or a family member could be against the right to die. Emotional scenes: Hayley Cropper, played by Julie Hesmondhalgh, silently looks out of the flat window holding her husband Roy Cropper's hand before she takes her own life in a controversial episode of Coronation Street to be aired next week She said: "I would like to see it legalised, very much so. But I have to put the caveat that it has to be properly done; you have to make sure that people don't go around killing elderly people, say, just for the inheritance. "But I can't imagine how anyone can look at the Tony Nicklinson case and see his suffering and be against it," she told the Daily Telegraph. It's quite a simple thing for me - and I understand it isn't for everybody - but we need to look at this issue seriously.' Official guidance was published which said people who help loved ones end their lives may escape prosecution even if they benefit financially from the death. Cancer battle: Viewers have seen Hayley Cropper (right) struggling to get out of bed as she battles with pancreatic cancer The rules, set out by the Director for Public Prosecutions, make clear that anyone acting out of 'compassion' is unlikely to face court action. Mrs Hesmondhalgh said there was an "almost holy atmosphere" as she filmed her controversial last scene. The star, who joined Coronation Street in 1998 to play the soap's first transsexual, won the hearts of viewers with her on-screen romance with cafe owner Roy. Away from the screen, she is married to writer and actor Ian Kershaw, taking time off in 2001 to give birth to her daughter Martha Mo. She has now decided to leave for good to concentrate on theatre roles. Right to die: Hayley Cropper, played by Julie Hesmondhalgh, is seen ending her own life in the controversial episode of Coronation Street which is due to air next week The star's character, who is suffering from incurable cancer, will kill herself in Monday's episode She told Radio Times that the scenes were not "beautiful" and were "necessarily agonising, because of her steely determination to end her own life." But she added that the storyline was "timely and appropriate" and that "there are no easy answers." "This is a conversation that needs to be had," she said. The actress also said she had no problem being written out in such dramatic fashion. It would have been more convenient for me as an actor if I could have come back later on if work wasn't working out for me, but it would have been a complete betrayal of everything that we've done because they [Hayley and Roy] are the most steadfast and loyal and loving couple... they just would not have separated for any other reason apart from death. Keiran Roberts, Coronation Street's executive producer, said: "We're not an issue-based show but sometimes a story will highlight an issue and this is such a case. Pancreatic cancer is an illness that people may not know a lot about and the right-to-die issue will spark a debate, I'm sure, and that's right and proper. The storyline will reflect the split in opinion in the right-to-die debate with Roy and Hayley's friend Fiz Stape struggling to deal with Hayley's decision. The actress said: 'I can't imagine how anyone can look at the Tony Nicklinson (right) case [the paralysed stroke victim who lost a case in 2012 to end his life by assisted suicide] and see his suffering and be against it' Coronation Street producer Stuart Blackburn said: "This is a very sensitive issue and we will be exploring the effects of her decision on husband Roy who has a huge emotional and moral dilemma over her choice to die this way. Not everyone will feel Hayley's decision is the right one and we fully respect this. For that reason we will be exploring both sides of the debate on screen. The Samaritans have warned that the storyline could create copycat suicides among vulnerable viewers. The on-screen controversy comes as a YouGov survey found almost three quarters of those questioned supported a change to existing laws regarding assisted suicide.