A Long-Running Chapter Ends
Actor Nick Miles has officially confirmed his departure from the long-running ITV soap Emmerdale after 22 years with the production. The exit follows the dramatic death of his character, Jimmy King, who was recently killed off in a high-stakes stunt, bringing a definitive end to his tenure on the show.
Speaking at the 2026 National Television Awards, where Emmerdale secured the Continuing Drama award, Miles reflected on his final scenes. “Not to talk about myself, but the clip they showed was my last ever Emmerdale, and so it’s just a lovely, lovely way to end my 22-year Emmerdale story,” he told Radio Times. The actor described the filming process for the character’s final moments as both emotional and challenging, noting that the cast faced extreme heat during the production of the climactic sequence.
The Future of Nicola King
The death of Jimmy King also concludes a 17-year on-screen marriage between the characters of Jimmy and Nicola King, portrayed by Nicola Wheeler. Reflecting on their long collaboration, Wheeler noted that the bond between the actors was forged over two decades of working together. Regarding her character’s future, Wheeler dismissed the notion of an immediate romantic rebound for Nicola.
“I think poor Nicola is going to be mourning the loss of Jimmy for a considerable amount of time,” Wheeler stated. While recent episodes have featured Nicola in a brief, grief-fueled encounter with a character named Kev, Wheeler emphasized that this does not signal a permanent shift in her character’s romantic trajectory. “I don’t think that’s on the cards yet. I think there’ll be friendships before romance,” she added.
The Sadie King Factor
The storyline is currently complicated by the return of Patsy Kensit as Sadie King, Jimmy’s first wife. Sadie has been actively manipulating Nicola, attempting to convince her that Jimmy had been involved in a long-term secret affair. Despite the complex on-screen rivalry, Nick Miles shared that he and Kensit enjoyed a warm reunion behind the scenes, though their characters do not share any scenes together.
Wheeler hinted that the tension between Nicola and Sadie may evolve into a “frenemy” dynamic as both women grapple with the revelations regarding Jimmy’s past. The narrative is expected to focus on how Nicola handles the discovery of Sadie’s schemes as the fallout from the character’s death continues to unfold.