Soap Special Julie Lordan chats to Emmerdale star, Claire King, about all things Kim Tate
Kim Tate in Emmerdale might be showing a softer side to her usually manipulative and ruthless character. We found out from Claire King what exactly is going on with Kim
Kim Tate has made many enemies, and with justification, through the years she has been in Emmerdale. Even her own family cannot escape her interfering. Her son Jamie has inherited much of his mother’s nastiness, which makes for great drama, but he also suffers as a result of his mother’s interference in his life. Kim has never liked any of the women he has been involved with. She worked hard to make sure that his exwife, Andrea, (mother to Kim’s granddaughter, Milly) did not benefit from any of his assets, she is trying to split him with his girlfriend, Dawn and she is manipulating Gabby, who is pregnant as a result of a one-night stand with Jamie.
Jamie and Andrea, through a slip up by Kim, have been given legal access to Dale View, a valuable house in the village. Surprisingly, Jamie has decided to sign the house over to Andrea, so that he can remain close to their daughter, Milly. This is not how Kim saw it working out. Claire King explains why she is fuming. “Kim was not best pleased. She had urged Gabby to work on Jamie about gaining back the house and was sure she had Gabby on board to sort the whole situation out, but Gabby failed miserably,” says Claire.
And it certainly was a slip-up on Kim’s part when Dale View became legally the property of Jamie and Andrea. What on earth came over her? “Well, Kim is not feeling in the best of health. She is tired, feeling a bit out of sorts at the moment and she is really livid at the fact that she didn’t list Dale View as one of her own assets, instead of remaining as one she shared with Jamie. I mean she plans to give everything back to her son but she is adamant that Andrea can’t get her hands on them. Somehow, she forgot about Dale View and she has been a bit befuddled lately so it remained as one of Jamie’s assets,” said Claire. Viewers will probably be upset for Gabby, who not only is getting no support from Jamie, but is a victim now of Kim’s anger. Claire explains why Kim would be upset. “Gabby was supposed to remedy the situation and it would of course be difficult for Gabby because it annoys Jamie to have her involved. And regarding the house, Jamie just felt it was easier to say to Andrea ‘Right, let’s just settle it once and for all, Milly is my daughter. It keeps a roof over her head, it’s the honourable and sensible thing to do,’ So, yeah Kim is very irritated with Gabby who wasn’t able to persuade Jamie to keep Dale View for himself,” says Claire.
But it is Kim’s health that is a cause for concern. She is drinking a good deal, is feeling very unwell, and she is concerned that it could be a hereditary disease. Claire takes up the story of her fears as to what is wrong with her. “Drinking is certainly not a good idea but the brandy (a very expensive one!) numbs her pain. She doesn’t quite know what is wrong with her, but she has suspicions because of her health in the past and her family history of health. So the drink isn’t the source of the problem, it is just her way of self-medicating,” she says.
This does come to a head though, and Kim can no longer ignore the symptoms, when she collapses when alone in her house. “Well, Kim is drinking so much, she kind of works herself up into a state. She tells Gabby, who has been staying with her, to pack her bags and get out. She’s very emotional, very frustrated, extremely tired and she knows that
something is not quite right. She’s worried about her health and after Gabby leaves, she just collapses in the hall and is there all night until Lydia finds her in the morning,” says Claire. But she continues to be in denial. “Kim is adamant that she will not see a doctor, because she is so scared about what that might reveal. She starts to google her symptoms and leaves her laptop open when she is distracted. Gabby returns, sees the google diagnosis, and Kim feels pressurised to tell Gabby and Lydia what her fears are,” says Claire.
This is the start of a new and interesting storyline but as usual, when it comes to Kim, it is not straightforward. “It’s a really good story because it is not all it seems and there are some twists and turns along the way. But Kim changes somewhat; through drinking and worrying, she is not so much this tornado of a strong woman. She loses control, starts making mistakes, people start having a go at her and she doesn’t have the usual comebacks so you do see a different side to Kim. Quite a vulnerable side,” says Claire.
It won’t be the same Kim Tate if she does become a pleasant and nice character. And of course, it might be less exciting. But Claire is not worried. “She will possibly be nicer for a few minutes! But yeah, there is a softer side, because she is feeling so vulnerable and also, this is the start of a good friendship between Kim and Lydia. Lydia has her worries too which Kim helps her with and they have a respect for each other. In many ways they are similar women even though their lives are poles apart. They are very loyal, family means everything, and there is a bond between them. I hope it is the start of a good friendship because it would be nice for Kim since there is nobody really in her life that she has total trust with. And until someone breaks that trust, which probably will be Kim at some point, it’s really nice for her to have that genuine relationship. There are some lovely scenes coming up between Lydia and Kim and I’m looking forward to how that plays out,” says Claire.