Emmerdale Nicola King's life from rarely seen husband, unusual hobby to surgery (2025)

Emmerdale's Nicola King, portrayed by Nicola Wheeler, is no stranger to stirring up some serious drama in the soap. However, her real life couldn't be more different from her on-screen escapades.

Known for her fiery role, she once found herself at the centre of a fan storm following a contentious plot that saw her daughter Angelica make a startling confession on New Year's Eve. Away from the Emmerdale set, Nicola enjoys a tranquil existence in Yorkshire, a stark contrast to the tumultuous life of her character.

She embraces her role as a devoted mum and wife, keeping her family, especially her husband, away from the media spotlight. Over time, she has offered fans a peek into her personal life.

Her partner Matt maintains a low profile, seldom appearing alongside Nicola in public, and the couple have opted not to flaunt their relationship at glitzy events. Details about how they met or their wedding remain private, reports OK!.

The pair welcomed a son in 2015, prompting Nicola to take a six-month break from acting. Nicola took to Twitter to announce her pregnancy, expressing gratitude for the well-wishes and hinting at the impending arrival: "Thanks for all your congratulations still got a couple of weeks until arrives. Unless he/she gets impatient."

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Emmerdale's official Twitter account joined in the celebration of her bundle of joy in April, with a heartwarming post: "BIG congratulations to @nicola_Wheeler and her baby boy, who arrived on Friday 13! ".

Speaking to OK! magazine, the Yorkshire-born star heaped praise on her partner Matt for his supportive role during parenthood. The 50 year old actress shared: "I am really lucky that me and my partner are sharing the childcare. But we have said that the hardest work is looking after the kid all day. [...] Coming to work is like a holiday I can actually come to work and do things like look at the internet, do some shopping, get some yoga in, or just sit and do b***** all."

Nicola chooses to maintain privacy when it comes to her family life, yet she's also given fans glimpses of her beautiful home via Twitter, which boasts a white-tiled kitchen complete with marble surfaces, alongside festive decor. A snap reveals a snug fireplace situated within a brick surround, reminiscent of an authentic Emmerdale abode.

Yet, it's the extensive garden that truly captivates, offering Nicola enough space to indulge in her passion for beekeeping. .

One of Nicola's tweets expresses her beekeeping enthusiasm: "Just put my honey bees to bed for winter. I mean they'll all keep buzzing and doing their thing until nature tells them to stay indoors, but I won't interfere until spring. Really calm hive - not one sting this year and lots of honey. Thanks, girls."

Unfortunately, health challenges necessitated a leave of absence for Nicola from the Emmerdale set in 2022, which saw her discussing her hip replacement surgery with This Morning's Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield. Before her operation, Emmerdale producers made it clear that intense scenes awaited her character's return.

Nicola shared a light-hearted moment recalling her conversation with the crew: "They said 'What we are going to do is we are going to bring you back and beat you up, is that okay? '," followed by a chuckle. "I said 'Fine, but I can't throw myself on the floor', so the stunt double did anything truly physical just because obviously I was still healing."

At that time, Nicola's character was embroiled in a harrowing gang attack storyline.

During an interview with The Sun, Nicola expressed her nervousness about filming a car scene shortly after her hip operation: "Bear in mind, I had only just had my hip replaced! I was fully healed, don't worry, they didn't drag me in early,", she clarified reassuringly.

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Worrying over the proximity during the stunt, she admitted: "I probably was miles away [from Matthew Wolfenden], but I kept thinking, 'What if my foot slips, what if I do actually hit the back of his car? '."

Fortunately, the fears were unfounded as everything went smoothly with no accidents occurring.

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