Emmerdale’s Nicola ‘to move on’ from Jimmy ahead of exit and fans are ‘so mad’
Emmerdale's Jimmy King is set to leave the village after a jaw-dropping stunt
Nicola Wheeler plays Nicola King in Emmerdale (Image: ITV)
Fans of Emmerdale have predicted a surprising new romance for Nicola King. Viewers of the ITV soap will be well aware that Nicola (played by Nicola Wheeler) is the daughter of Rodney (Patrick Mower) and Maureen Blackstock (Joanna Monro), and the half-sister of Bernice Blackstock (Samantha Giles). She is currently married to Jimmy King (Nick Miles), with whom she shares a daughter, Angelica (Rebecca Bakes), and acts as a mother figure to Jimmy’s other children, Elliot (Luca Hoyle) and Carl (Charlie Joyce).
Nicola has been at the centre of numerous memorable plotlines over the years, including the harrowing 2022 car park attack, her ill-fated scheme to murder her millionaire husband Donald De Souza (Michael Jayston), and supporting her daughter through a devastating New Year’s Eve car crash. She also stood by her family in the aftermath of Jimmy’s nephew, Tom (James Chase), subjecting his wife Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) to horrific domestic abuse, reports the Daily Star.
Nicola and Jimmy King are a beloved soap couple (Image: ITV)
More recently, Nicola has had to deal with the return of Kev Barton (Chris Coghill), who is determined to forge a relationship with his son Lewis (Bradley Riches).
Fans will recall that Nicola and Ross (Michael Parr) staged a fake robbery at the café in a bid to frame Kev and drive him out of the village for good. Instead, Kev agreed to conceal their secret from Lewis in exchange for continued access to his son. He is now working at the café, much to Nicola’s considerable irritation.
Now, a number of Emmerdale fans believe they have spotted the signs of a budding romance between Nicola and Kev, as the tension between the pair continues to mount.
“Nicola and Kev will get together, there’s chemistry there,” one person wrote on a Facebook fan page. Another added: “Yesss, that will be a spicy one!” while a third said: “Omg I can totally see a Nicola/Kev romance.”
They have been together for almost 20 years (Image: ITV)
Nicola’s potential new romance comes in advance of the death of her love, Jimmy. It was reported earlier this year that the long-standing character would soon be axed in a shocking stunt, although the soap has yet to officially confirm the news.
A source told The Sun: “Everyone is shocked and it shows that no one is safe from the budget cuts. Bosses are under pressure to cut costs, and sadly, that means popular cast members being told their time is up.”
They added: “Once the decision was made that Nick would be leaving, the writers quickly realised his character wouldn’t abandon his wife and children, so they had to kill him off.”
Viewers are predicting a new romance for Nicola (Image: ITV)
Many viewers are consequently frustrated by the Nicola and Kev speculation, with one disgruntled person writing on X (formerly Twitter): “It’s clear as day Jimmy’s being killed off to replace him in all aspects by Kev. Total disgrace.” Another added: “Yes, it’s painful to watch,” while a third said: “I’m so mad about it. Gonna miss Jimmy and Nicola together as a couple so much.”
