| Jay Copeland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Shortland Street character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Jaime Passier-Armstrong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2004–2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 3002 25 June 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 28 August 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Harriet Crampton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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.