Coronation Street star Adam Rickitt, known for playing Nick Tilsley on the ITV soap until 2004, earned just £12,000 last year working in a bar he runs with his wife Katy. That figure falls below the UK minimum wage even for those aged 16 and 17, which is £15,600 per year based on a 37.5-hour working week.
Life after the cobbles
In a new interview with The Times, Adam explained his earnings at the craft beer and artisan gin spot Dexter and Jones in Knutsford, Cheshire. He and Katy said they have “sunk everything” into the venue.
He said: “I took the personal allowance of about £12,000 and then we took dividends of £36,000 to stay within the basic tax band.”
From millions to a bar
During his time on Corrie, Adam earned around £3,500 per week for four episodes, plus income from guest appearances at events and clubs. This allowed him to accumulate millions over the years, but he lost £5.5 million to his father, who never repaid the loan.
He said: “He was very much a spender. He would blow all his money on stupid things and not very sound investments despite earning £2m to £3m a year — and then he would come and borrow my money.”
“I’m not angry because when I had money it didn’t make me happy. I’m happy now married to the love of my life, running this place and doing pop music again.”
A difficult family history
Earlier this year on Vanessa Feltz’ TV show, Adam said: “If you Google 'Adam Rickitt net worth', it comes up with a figure, it's not that figure because my dad stole all my money. And he did it three times.”
“So, even though I was 18 years old and did Corrie and did the pop music and money was coming in, it kept just going to him, and he kept losing it.”
He added: “My dad was a very successful merchant banker, he was pulling in millions of pounds a year himself. But he was also a flaming alcoholic. I kept lending him money, he kept wasting it, but then he would make money.”
“And rather than paying me back, he'd go and spend it on his friends. He'd never spend it on his family or pay me back. So, we ended up falling out for 15 years and we only reconnected when he went from earning millions of pounds to living on a state pension and penniless, having his home repossessed because he had nothing to prove anymore, because he couldn't prove anything anymore.”
The bar today
Adam first bought his bar in 2019. Its website promises more than 800 craft beers, more than 300 small-batch gins and more than 200 wines, along with 10 ever-changing draft beers.
It adds: “Our mission is always to offer the best beverages you won’t find elsewhere. When it comes to craft beer, we are constantly on the hunt. From securing one-off lines by the biggest names in brewing, to seeking out the start-ups breaking new ground.”
Their gin collection focuses “on small-batch distillers who make their drinks naturally without artificial flavourings, striving for the perfect botanical mix to tickle your taste buds.”
