Strictly Come Dancing star Lewis Cope is best known for playing Nicky Miligan in Emmerdale, but how did his character leave the village?
Former Emmerdale star Lewis Cope is currently impressing viewers with his dance skills on Strictly Come Dancing.
The 30-year-old actor and his professional partner Katya Jones have reached the top of the leaderboard on two occasions so far. The pair notably left the judges stunned with their Johnny Cash-themed Quickstep to “Ring of Fire” on Saturday (October 25) evening.
Prior to his success in the Strictly ballroom, Lewis was most recognised for his portrayal of Nicky Miligan in the ITV soap Emmerdale. But how did Nicky leave the Dales?
Nicky made his first appearance in Emmerdale in December 2022 as the estranged son of Caleb (William Ash) and Ruby Miligan (Beth Cordingly). He quickly became embroiled in numerous dramatic plot lines, reports the Daily Star.
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In January 2023, Nicky took on the role of live-in nanny at Home Farm as part of Caleb’s plan to destroy his father Frank Tate’s (Norman Bowler) widow, Kim (Claire King), and seize her fortune.
During the scheme, Nicky got engaged to Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham), who is the mother of Kim’s grandson, Thomas (Bertie Brotherton).
However, Nicky was unable to proceed with the wedding on their big day, and subsequently revealed to Gabby that he was gay.
Later that year, Suni Sharma (Brahmdeo Shannon Ramana) turned up in the village and quickly showed romantic interest in Nicky. Despite early meddling from Gabby, Nicky and Suni soon started dating.
The couple moved in together in 2024, but tragedy soon struck. Nicky and Ethan Anderson (Emile John) were driving home from a night out when an intoxicated Ethan crashed the car.
Nicky was seriously injured in the crash and was placed in a coma due to his injuries.
It wasn’t long before the police discovered that it was not Nicky at the wheel during the accident, prompting Ruby to seek revenge on Ethan, who later died from a brain aneurysm.
After a tumultuous few months, Suni and Nicky decided to leave the village in July 2024 to start afresh.
However, some Emmerdale enthusiasts speculate that Nicky might be making a return to the Dales following the discovery of his grandfather Anthony Fox’s (Nicholas Day) dead body.
ITV viewers will remember that Anthony was murdered in January by his daughter Ruby, who had been sexually abused as a teenager and fell pregnant.
Killer John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth) then assisted in erasing any evidence from the crime scene, with Caleb recently seen unearthing Anthony’s remains.
On the possibility of Lewis returning to the soap, one fan posted on a Facebook fan page: “I hope when Lewis Cope is done with Strictly he’ll come to Emmerdale.”
Another echoed: “Same here!” Could Nicky make an unexpected Dales comeback? We’ll have to wait and see.
Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 at 7.30pm and is available to stream from 7am on ITVX
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