Claire King: “I’ve ditched surgery for good”
As she returns to Emmerdale this week, actress Claire King opens up on why she’ll age gracefully rather than go under the knife again, and reveals why she’s happier than ever
It’s been nearly 20 years since she played sexy super-bitch Kim Tate in Emmerdale, and while she returned to our screens briefly in November, Claire King admits she can’t wait to reprise her role as the village vixen for good.
Claire, 57 – who makes her full-time comeback to the Dales this week – tells Closer, “It feels like getting back into a comfy pair of slippers – or a pair of old riding boots, I should say! It’s lovely to be back, the workload is double now, but it feels good to be kept on my toes. People love to hate Kim, and I can’t wait to see what the writers have in store for her.”
While she’s thrilled about returning to her old stomping ground, Claire admits she suffered with nerves after being away from the spotlight.
She explains, “It’s been a long time since I was on screen properly. I’m nearly twice the age I was at the height of Kim Tate, nobody can deny it. I’m getting older, but we all get wrinkles, it’s just a part of life.”
And the actress – who has also played cougar Erica Holroyd in Coronation Street – admits her laid-back attitude has developed with age. Six years ago, she appeared on Sky Living show Stitch Me, Lift Me, Tuck Me, to undergo a mini face lift in an effort to boost her flagging career. At the time, Claire readily admitted she knew lots of women who had gone under the knife to look younger and said she was prepared to do the same to improve her chances of “being offered new parts”.
But Claire admits the effects were only temporary, and now she’s happy to grow old gracefully, without cosmetic enhancements.
EMBRACING IMPERFECTIONS
She explains now, “I don’t have fillers or Botox. I’ve tried things in the past for a boost, but now I’ve decided to ditch surgery and just be me. It’s liberating – I’ve become a flagbearer for that sort of thing. I’ve got more jowls and saggy bits, but the lines on my face show what I’ve been through.” She laughs, “I’d love to look 30 again, but if I did look 30 at 57… well, I’d look stupid!” But while she’s no stranger to surgery herself, the former Celebrity Big Brother star laments the rising number of girls under undergoing cosmetic procedur procedures. She explains, “Nowadays, the younger generation seem to be having more surgery than the older folk. It’s quite dangerous because they all start to look the same. When you look on Instagram, it’s almost like a factory of eyebrows and lips.” And the 5ft 8 star has the same down-to-earth approach about her body, by shunning crash diets and embracing her imperfections.
She explains, “I’m not totally confident, but I’ve just settled for the body I have. It’s all wrinkling with patches of cellulite and getting saggier, but that’s what happens!
“I don’t diet, because as soon as you do, you’re starving. I live in Spain for half the year and prefer eating the Mediterranean way, with lots of salad, fish and chicken. If I have a blowout, then I’ll go swimming, riding or walking to compensate.”
But painful rheumatoid arthritis – a long-term condition that causes swelling and stiffness in the joints, which struck Claire in her twenties – means she has to take it easy with exercise.
She explains, “It plagues me every day and it gets worse in cold and damp weather. I’ve had replacement joints put in and I’ve got metal strips in my fingers, so I can’t bend them much. I feel it in my knees and my feet, too. Strictly was hard for me [Claire was partnered with Brendan Cole in the 2006 series], because I was pounding away on the floor and it didn’t do my joints any good, but yoga has helped massively because it keeps me supple.”
Despite being a regular fixture on our screens over the years, work dried up for Claire when she hit her forties. She struggled to find roles, and admits she nearly quit her career just before landing her part in Corrie in 2014. At the time, she said, “I felt so low and unsure of myself that I
didn’t want to leave the house.”
Reflecting on that period now, she says. “Years ago, there was a big surge of reality shows and there weren’t many dramas around, and I struggled. It’s very hard when you’re in that depressed state, but I got through it with good friends. Luckily, the landscape has changed and we’re not drowning anyone who’s aged 40!”
DIFFICULT TIMES
In 2003, Claire hit the headlines when her 10-year marriage to actor Peter Amory, 54, who had played her wheelchair-bound stepson Chris Tate in Emmerdale, ended, reportedly due to his affair with their co-star Samantha Giles. While she’s admitted her confidence took a hit for a time, Claire is now happily settled with her businessman boyfriend, and has described the fallout as being “all water under the bridge”. And although she remains tight-lipped about her new partner’s identity, Claire credits him with helping her through difficult times.
She says, “My fella came along around the time I was struggling to get work, which helped. We’ve been together 11 years now. People think I’m still single because I don’t talk about him, but he’s a down-to-earth, normal Yorkshire bloke. He doesn’t care about the celebrity side of things.”
Claire underwent a hysterectomy in 2010 after discovering a lump, and has spoken about her regret over not having children. She has a great relationship with her partner’s daughters now, and confides he’s made her happier than ever. She adds, “The best bit is, I never have to pretend to be someone I’m not, or try too hard. And that’s what’s great, he loves me for being me.”
‘The lines on my face show what I’ve been through’
Emmerdale is on weekdays, 7pm, ITV