KIMBERLY HART-SIMPSON
CORONATION STREET NEWCOMER KIMBERLY HART-SIMPSON TELLS OK!’S KIRSTY HATCHER ABOUT DATING APPS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING ON SET
Joining the cast of Coronation Street is a dream for many young actors, but for newcomer Kimberly Hart-simpson, it was also her late father’s dying wish. Now 33, she had been auditioning for roles on the ITV soap for 10 years, but there was something about the character of sex worker Nicky Wheatley – who’s the new love interest of Daniel Osbourne [Rob Mallard] – that felt different. “I had a gut feeling I was going to get it,” she says.
The former Hollyoaks star, who also owns clothing brand Hart-work, is openly bisexual and has been searching for romance on dating apps during lockdown.
Here, Kimberly tells OK! how proud her dad would be of her for landing a role on Corrie and why women always make better dates than men...
How have you found being on Corrie so far?
It’s been very strange because of the circumstances, but I’ve loved it. You’d think working with such iconic people, there might be a bit of diva-ship, but no. Being on set doesn’t ruin the illusion, it still feels magical every time I go there.
My first day was so scary but I also felt confident. You have to believe in yourself to audition somewhere for 10 years after you keep getting rejected.
I had to believe that
I belonged there. In
2012, I played Bet
Lynch in the stage version of Coronation
Street Live, but that was the closest I’d come to it.
Where were you when you got the call to say you’d got the part?
I was in the basement of a theatre with no daylight, making costumes for other actors. You know when Rylan [Clarkneal] got told he was through to the live shows on The X Factor? I was like that [laughs]. I cried all day.
How proud do you think your dad would be of you landing a spot on Corrie?
I might have created a monster [laughs]!
He’d be saying to everyone, “Do you know my daughter?”
My sister and I were caring for him when he was poorly and when he did pass on, his words were, “Just get on Corrie, love.”
I’ve been going for
Corrie parts for nearly
10 years, but this time
I had a gut feeling I was going to get it. I don’t know what it was. Dad died in 2007 and every time I go to the set, I feel like I’m keeping an extension of him alive. I have memories of being sat with him watching the show, so it feels very poignant. My mum was in bits when we watched my first episode together!
Have you been on any dating apps during lockdown?
I’m smashing them all! I’ve come off Tinder though, because it was getting a little weird. I’m all for recycling, but I see the same people. It makes you think, “Is that it?” I’m openly bisexual and dating women versus men, there are so many differences. Women are not as obvious as men and it’s a much more relaxed vibe with them. I think being an open book to anything is probably the best way forward, especially at 33, because my options are running out!
Since lockdown you’ve now gone back to filming. How has it been?
I’ve loved returning to filming and everything went smoothly. The scripts are perfection – it’s going to get tasty! My first scene back had a lot of tension in it so it worked really well having to socially distance. I was also shown the one-way system around the building. As I hadn’t done loads of filming on Corrie beforehand, the new way of doing things will just become my way.
What’s next with your storyline?
Daniel asks Nicky to wear Sinead’s clothes. She’s probably been asked to dress up before, but perhaps not as someone’s deceased partner! I think it’s important we’re commenting on grief in a young marriage because it needs to be spoken about. Fans are very protective of Daniel and it’s a huge space to fill Sinead’s shoes. Katie [Mcglynn, who played Sinead] moved the earth with the [cervical cancer] storyline. Hopefully my character won’t have the same fate because that would be tragic for Daniel. I don’t know if anything romantic will develop between them. Right now they’re developing a friendship. Do you hope to be at Corrie long term? I absolutely want to be the next Ken Barlow. If I had it my way, I’d be there forever. It’s where I’ve always wanted to be. It’s my dream.