| Hayley O'Neill | |
|---|---|
| Shortland Street character | |
| Portrayed by | Michelle Blundell |
| Introduced by | Steven Zanoski |
| Duration | 2012 |
| First appearance | 17 February 2012 |
| Last appearance | 21 May 2012 |
| Classification | Former; recurring |
| Profile | |
| Date of death | 21 May 2012 |
| Occupation | Relief teacher (until 2012) Tutor (until 2012) |
Hayley Jane O'Neill was the obsessive maths tutor of Phoenix Raynor (Geordie Holibar). Hayley grew dependent on Phoenix's father Chris (Michael Galvin) when her boyfriend Drew (Joel Herbert) started to abuse her. She began to string Phoenix along romantically in pursuit of Chris and made out that Phoenix was stalking her. Hayley then began to manipulate the hospital staff and Chris' girlfriend Rachel (Angela Bloomfield) into the belief that she and Chris were having an affair. After destroying Chris' family and professional life, Hayley returned to Drew only to be intensely beaten and found by Chris. She died from her injuries on 21 May and Chris ended up arrested for her murder.
Hayley has been described as; "Shorty's most maddening, manipulative and terrifyingly psychotic character in ages" and the show's most compelling storyline of the year. Michael Galvin believed that Hayley was possibly the soap's most successful villain, citing the immense uproar she caused amongst viewers.
Read more about this topic: Josh Gallagher