IS IT THE END FOR JIMMY?

Nick Miles fears his Emmerdale character’s health problems are so severe he’s in danger of being killed off

Emmerdale’s Jimmy King is currently performing a juggling act any circus artist would be proud of. He’s running a haulage business, while working for Joseph Tate, fending off Tate’s enemies the Dingles, and trying to keep his domineering wife Nicola happy.

Last week, the pressure got too much and Jimmy fell ill. This week, doctors will warn him to change his lifestyle or risk a heart attack. It’s so dire that the actor who plays him is worried he might be killed off.

‘Jimmy’s being pulled from all angles and he can’t take the stress. He’s living in fear of the Dingles finding out he’s helping Tate’s golf course development, which will mean them losing their home,’ says Nick Miles, who’s been playing Jimmy since 2004. ‘He has a panic attack and the doctor tells him he must start exercising and change his diet before it’s too late.

‘I don’t know what the future of the storyline is but, as a soap actor, health scares are the worst as they make you nervous and wonder, “Do they want me gone?”’

To add to his stress, Jimmy’s been demoted from Estate Manager to handyman by Tate and is going to extreme lengths to keep Nicola in the dark. Every morning he leaves in his smart clothes only to change into overalls in the phone box! ‘Nicola’s a dragon; he’s terrified of her,’ says Nick. ‘Plus, he suspects Tate is testing him, and his role will change.’

Jimmy lies to Nicola that he’s been given a clean bill of health. ‘She’s suspicious,’ says Nick, ‘but is so delighted Jimmy is now some kind of executive that she’s swept up with that. She’d be upset to find out the reality but he’s not going to tell her!’

When the truth inevitably comes

out, it’ll be a great storyline for the couple, who have been together for nine years through thick and thin.

‘Most couples can’t just split up, for economic or family reasons, and they battle on,’ says Nick, who’s 55 and has been happily married to his partner Stephanie for 11 years. ‘Jimmy and Nicola do that, even if it is sometimes a struggle. I get loads of responses from married viewers saying how glad they are we keep at our marriage as we give them hope.’

Nick admits he adores working with Nicola Wheeler, who plays his screen wife. ‘It’s rare for a couple in

a continuing drama to be together so long. It’s a privilege to still create interest in the relationship, and I want us to stay together.’

Nick credits Jimmy’s relationship with Nicola for keeping him in the show after his father and brothers were killed off. ‘I think the audience liked us so much the writers felt it was worth keeping,’ he says.

Now, 14 years after joining, Nick says he enjoys it as much as his first day. He adds, ‘It’d be great to think this is a job for life but if I let standards slip, I’d be out of the door.’