Nicola Wheeler has opened up about the emotional experience of shooting her last scenes alongside Nick Miles on Emmerdale, describing the moment as “surreal.”
The actress, who has portrayed Nicola King on the ITV soap since 2001, said she was “absolutely gutted” upon discovering that her on-screen husband Jimmy King would be killed off.
The couple had been one of the longest-standing marriages in soap, with the characters tying the knot in 2010.
Jimmy met his end in a devastating car crash, with viewers seeing him die behind the wheel after losing control of his vehicle.
Nick Miles’ Emmerdale character Jimmy King died in heartbreaking scenes last week
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ITV
Ms Wheeler told media outlets during a press conference: “It was really surreal. It sort of ends, and you go, ‘Oh gosh, that’s it’. We’ll never be Nick and Jimmy again together.”
The actress reflected on how the production’s non-linear filming schedule added to the strange quality of the experience.
She explained that even as they were working through the storyline, the reality of Mr Miles’s departure never truly sank in.
“Even whilst we were filming it all, it never felt real because we film out of sync,” she said. “When it came to doing all the scenes where he dies, it was odd. It’s almost like you didn’t want to do it.”
Ms Wheeler acknowledged the bittersweet nature of performing material she knew would mark the end of an era.
“They were 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,” she added.
Looking ahead, Ms Wheeler shared her belief that Nicola will carry the loss of Jimmy with her permanently.
She assured Mr Miles that his character would receive “a good funeral” and expressed how much she would miss her screen partner.
The Emmerdale actress opened up about the emotional experience of shooting her last scenes alongside Nick Miles
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GETTY
“I can’t imagine the character would ever fully move on,” she said. “I think there’s always going to be part of her that loves him. Her heart will grow to fit another love in, but she will never let Jimmy go.”
The couple were parents to three children: Angelica, Elliot and Carl, though only Angelica is biologically Nicola’s.
Having been together for 16 years, Jimmy’s death has left Nicola navigating life as a widow and single mother, a journey Ms Wheeler described as leaving her character “bereft.”
The actress also hinted at an unexpected new dynamic for her character, revealing that Kev Townsend, portrayed by Chris Coghill, emerges as an unlikely source of comfort during Nicola’s mourning.
Nichola acknowledged the bittersweet nature of performing material she knew would mark the end of an era.
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GETTY
“Something happens in which I can only say Nicola behaves appallingly, and Kev is a gentleman, and I think from that moment she starts to see him in a different light,” she said.
Mr Coghill, speaking at the same Emmerdale press event, likened the pair’s dynamic to “classic playground flirting,” noting that despite their constant bickering, the two characters are “getting closer, starting to appreciate each other a bit more.”
Ms Wheeler herself is enthusiastic about Nicola eventually finding romance again, even joking that her character ought to try dating apps and endure “horrendous dates” to inject some fun back into proceedings.