Emmerdale star reveals who saves Nicola as she behaves ‘appallingly’

Who will be her unlikely saviour? (Picture: ITV) Emmerdale’s Nicola King is no angel. Her beloved husband Jimmy (Nick Miles) always brought out her softer side. Now he’s dead, actor Nicola Wheeler explains how grief sends her character off the rails… and which unlikely Dales resident comes to her rescue. It’s easy to forget just now nasty Nicola can be. Greatest hits include plotting to murder her silver-haired husband Donald De Souza for his millions, faking a pregnancy, and a general track record of selfishness, manipulation, and scheming. Essentially, she’s the Karen of the Dales. The reason why it’s easy to forget that side of Nicola is in no small part due to Jimmy King. Pairing her up with one of the most kind, decent, hapless and bumbling men in the show allowed the one time Emmerdale villain to be more vulnerable and show her authentic self. Consequently, Nico’s nasty side largely became limited too serving up the odd catty park alongside a cappuccino in Main Street cafe. Then poor Jimmy had to go and die, tragically losing his life when his car crashed into Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) and Dawn Taylor’s (Olivia Bromley) wedding disaster. See you, Jimmy. Nicola’s heartbreaking final scenes with her man. (Picture: ITV) Actress Nicola Wheeler explores Nicola’s grief, and her visceral reaction to losing the love of her life, as well as the father of her daughter Angelica. ‘Obviously she’s devastated.’ Nicola admits. ‘They’ve been together for – I have to work out Angel’s age – 18 years, married for 16 years. She’s absolutely bereft. She can’t believe that life is going to exist without him, especially as the day was supposed to start with something very romantic and then ended in tragedy.’ But Nicola’s grief won’t be confined to sobbing by Jimmy’s grave and playing the weeping widow. Apparently, she is set to learn something about her dearly departed hubby that causes the red mist to desend. ‘Jimmy had a lot of secrets, and I think the audience are going to be mighty surprised at the life Jimmy was leading that nobody knew about. It’s exciting.’ Nicola Wheeler reveals. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. ‘It’s unsettling, because it’s totally against his personality. It’s totally against type. You would never imagine that a Jimmy in this world would behave like this.’ It’s fair to assume that this mysterious secret has something to do with the iconic return of Jimmy’s ex-missus, Emmerdale uber-bitch Sadie King (Patsy Kensit). Or possibly whatever Jimmy swerved to avoid that caused the accident that resulted in his demise. Jimmy’s ex Sadie is set to make an explosive return to the village. (Picture: ITV) What matters is that Nicola’s tears will turn to rage sharpish, and one villager will step up in her hour of need. But who? Her best friend Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) Close, but no cigar. Although Nicola does concede that Laurel will have a part to play later during her chatacter’s grieving process. ‘Laurel has been through this type of grief, having lost Ashley (her late husband), and she’s a huge support for Nicola anyway. They do have some quarrels during the grieving period, which you’ll learn about later as to why, but their friendship will remain firm.’ No, Nicola’s redemption comes at the hands of quite possibly the last person you’d go to in Emmerdale when in need of comfort – Kev Barton (Chris Coghill). The always unpredictable, never dull former criminal and proprietor of the villages’ new pop up cafe ‘A Slice of Kev-en’ has been a thorn in Nicola’s side ever since he decided to be a father to his long-lost son Lewis Barton (Bradly Riches), Nicola’s business partner with whom she has an extremely protective maternal relationship. Emmerdale has long teased a softening between Nicola and Kev post-Jimmy’s passing. Now Nicola Wheeler spills the tea on this unlikely pairing. ‘I don’t think I’m giving anything away in saying that Kev becomes a surprising help during her grieving process. Something happens in which I can only say Nicola behaves appallingly, and Kev is a gentleman. I think, from that moment, she starts to see him in a different light.’ Still a better love story than Twilight – which Nicola loves, by the way. (Picture: ITV) Does this mean… dare we even say it? A romance between Kev and Nicola. Will Kevola be a thing? Actor Chris Coghill has already teased this possibility. Nicola Wheeler is a bit more cagey about the prospect. ‘Wait and see! Whether Kev wants it or not, I don’t know, but all I’m going to say to that is wait and see. ‘It’s lovely. It’s very well written. It shows two different sides to both of the characters, which I think would make the audience rally for them, but I think what Kev is to Nicola is a surprising ally. That’s what he becomes.’ Deals of the Day An Instagram mattress left me with back pain – this one completely changed my mind Book Val d'Isère, Val Thorens and Tignes for less in Club Med's ski sale Save 25% on red light therapy masks, sauna blankets and sleep gadgets in Bon Charge sale The viral LED face mask with over 350 lights that's currently discounted by £100 A friend said I looked 'snatched' – I credit this new Charlotte Tilbury powder Arrow MORE: Are you a true fan? Test your knowledge with Metro’s weekly Soaps quiz! 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