Emmerdale’s Nicola Wheeler breaks silence on controversial Jimmy King twist that really upset fans

A devastating revelation was made about Jimmy (Picture: ITV / Metro) Fans are never shy about criticism when their favourite soap does something controversial. And boy, it doesn’t get much more controversial than Emmerdale killing off Jimmy King (Nick Miles). Last week, the man with the biggest dad vibes in all of Yorkshire tragically perished when his car crashed into Joe Tate’s (Ned Porteous) and Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) wedding marquee. There the beloved Dales resident tragically passed away in the wreckage of his smashed vehicle next to his devastated wife Nicola King, who imagined a heart-warming dream sequence where they renewed their vows. Sob. Needless to say, Soap Land social media has been on fire ever since. We already know that show bosses decided to kill off the classic character months ago, after 22 years in the soap. Oafish and loveable, Jimmy was known for being the only one of the King brothers who wasn’t pure evil, not to mention bringing out the softer side of his acid tongues missus, Nicola. The moment an entire soap-watching nation sobbed… or screamed (Picture: ITV / Metro) Now the dust has settled, actress Nicola Wheeler, who plays Jimmy’s bereaved wife, recalls the moment she first found out that her on-screen husband would be leaving the Dales in a box. ‘I was absolutely gutted. I knew he was having a meeting, and he obviously told his real wife first, and then told his pretend wife. He phoned me up and we chatted about it, and then I spoke to Laura Shaw, our producer, about it too.’ ‘I was gutted, because I think it’s the institution that Jimmy and Nicola were. I was like, “Oh God, that’s over…” And I’ll be honest, even while we were filming it all, it never felt real. Because we film out of sync, so I was already filming a lot of the grieving process before we’d actually killed him.’ Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. ‘Then, when it came to doing the scenes where he dies, it was odd. It’s almost like you didn’t want to do it, but they’re beautifully written scenes, so you want to do them justice, but at the same time, you don’t want them to end because then it means this is final. We’ve got no going back. Unless we do a Bobby Ewing in the shower, “It was all a dream,” or whatever.’ Jimmy sadly lost his life in a car crash. (Picture: ITV) It wasn’t a dream, but some fans think it’s a nightmare. Nicola and Jimmy were absolutely an Emmerdale institution. If there’s one thing viewers might hate more than killing Jimmy, it’s killing the idea of Nicola and Jimmy. Which is exactly what they did by reintroducing Jimmy’s ex wife Sadie King (Patsy Kensit) with a shocking twist – and we’re not talking about that dramatic entrance by helicopter. Sadie had been in a relationship with Jimmy for the past three years. The King is dead. Long live the Queen. (Picture: ITV) Suddenly Jimmy’s recent money troubles start to make a lot more sense with his cash-hungry duplicitous former flame in the mix. Nicola Wheeler breaks down what’s going through her character’s head when Sadie drops the bombshell about Jimmy’s jaw-dropping double life. ‘Well, initially, obviously, Nicola thinks Sadie is a big fat liar. Then Sadie produces some very convincing evidence.’ ‘So, the £5000 gets explained. In the midst of grieving, Nicola gets a phone call from a hotel that says there’s an outstanding room service bill in Jimmy’s name. She just thinks it’s a mistake, but then Sadie talks about the hotel they were meeting at, which is in Harrogate, and then Sadie also produces pictures.’ ‘And Sadie somehow knows all about their children’s lives. All the things you wouldn’t find on social media. You wouldn’t be able to source this, so it had to come from Jimmy. Nicola then realises that it has to have been true, and Sadie’s ‘lie’ is that they have been in a relationship for the past three years. So, it stands to reason that she starts to panic that Jimmy was going to leave her.’ Yes Nicola. We’re just as shocked as you are. (Picture: ITV) But why? How does this massive retcon make any sense given the honourable, decent man we always knew Jimmy to be? How could Jimmy do this to his beloved Nico?‘That’s what Nicola’s asking.’ Nicola Wheeler agrees. ‘She doesn’t understand what’s been going on, and she feels like the last three years of their life, if not their entire marriage, have been a lie.’ Fans might be outraged, but what does Nicola W think of this twist? ‘I think it’s really interesting to take a character that’s really loved, like Jimmy, and throw it on its head. People would have thought that would be something Nicola would do, not Jimmy. So, it’s a really interesting take.’ It goes without saying, a lot of die-hard Dalesheads will be in full denial and expecting Sadie to be revealed as a liar. After all, she’s got form. The uber-bitch conned and schemed just about everyone she came into contact with, having torrid affairs with Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) and even Jimmy’s own brother Matthew (Matt Healy). With all that in mind, and with Jimmy not here to defend himself, aren’t we getting a one-sided story here? ‘You are, but all the evidence is backing up that everything Sadie is saying is true.’ Nicola Wheeler insists. ‘The trail of destruction he leaves, unwittingly with his death, suggests that he has been behaving appallingly for the past few years.’ Finally, what does Jimmy himself think of all this? Nicola Wheeler reveals that she’s still in contact with Nick Miles, and is feeding him tit-bits about his character’s double life from beyond the grave.‘Obviously Nick doesn’t know anything’. She laughs. ‘I mean, I could tell him anything! I might tell him more lies! I might tell him loads of stuff. But yes, I do tell him.’ ‘I told him he has a good funeral, and I sent him a picture of his coffin with us smiling at it. I said, “We’re burying you today. Bye!” and he was on holiday. I mean, I won’t tell him too much. He can watch it like everybody else!’ 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: Will ‘hot under the collar’ Caleb cheat as saucy Emmerdale legend targets him? Arrow MORE: Sadie’s sinister motives ‘confirmed’ in Emmerdale as she is caught red-handed by Nicola Arrow MORE: ‘Don’t believe it’: Emmerdale fans not buying what Sadie King is saying about Jimmy The Soaps Newsletter – Weekly Sign up for exclusive spoilers and interviews, handpicked by our Soaps Editor.