Jay Copeland
| Jay Copeland | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Shortland Street character | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Jaime Passier-Armstrong | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2004–07 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 25 June 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 28 August 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Harriet Crampton | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Manager of The IV (2006–07) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Father | Victor Kahu |
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| Mother | Diana Copeland |
| Stepmother | Anne Kahu |
| Brothers | Nelson Copeland |
| Civil partner | Maia Jeffries (2006–07) |
| Stepsons | Jay "JJ" Jeffries |
| Grandfathers | Kahikatea Kahu |
| Grandmothers | Makana Kahu |
| Uncles | Joe Hudson |
| Aunts | Te Hana Hudson |
| First cousins |
Mihi Hudson Tama Hudson |
Jessica "Jay" Copeland is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Jaime Passier-Armstrong from mid-2004 to mid-2007. She was the show's first lesbian regular character and longtime love interest for Maia Jeffries (Anna Jullienne).
Jay arrived to the show as the estranged daughter of established character - Victor Kahu (Calvin Tuteao). Closeted to her family, Jay had been dating her girlfriend Maia for months. What followed on screen was 3 years of an on-again, off-again romance storyline that would see the two become married, separated and Maia eventually widowed. Jay's contentment to her sexuality saw her a vast contrast to Maia who was at first self-conscious and shy, however following their devastating breakup, the roles reversed and the characterisation for both characters changed dramatically. Following Passier-Armstrongs wish to leave the show, Jay was written off in a high-profile manner in mid-2007 when she became the third victim in the highly successful Ferndale Strangler storyline.
Jay proved to be a hugely popular character, with fans insisting she be reinstated following her departure in 2004. Her relationship with Maia also received a warm welcome, with the storyline reportedly stopping a woman from committing suicide.
Jay was introduced as the daughter of Victor Kahu in June 2004. The character was only intended for 3 months but following outstanding public reaction, the character was brought back as a regular character. Passier-Armstrong decided to leave the soap and opted not to sign her contract meaning she would depart in March 2007. She stated; "I was only supposed to be on the show for three months originally. I never expected to stay on there for three years ... Shortland Street has been an extraordinary journey but it consumes your life, basically. I'm an extremely family-oriented person and I haven't been able to have much time in the last three years for myself or my family." The show was about to undergo a serial killer storyline and producer, Jason Daniel managed to convince Passier-Armstrong to stay on for several more months so that her character could be killed off as part of the storyline.
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