Emmerdale viewers are convinced that Kev Townsend (Chris Coghill) is about to embark on a new romance with an unlikely villager, Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler), following his divorce from Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley). During Monday's (July 6) double installment of the ITV soap, Kev feared that his estranged son Lewis Barton (Bradley Riches) wanted nothing to do with him.
Kev's Insecurities and Support
Charles Anderson (Kevin Mathurin) shared words of encouragement with Kev, assuring him that he would be a brilliant dad if given the chance. The vicar's compliments lifted Kev's spirits, and he even supported Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) as he struggled with Ross Barton's (Mike Parr) betrayal after sleeping with Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins).
Later in the episode, Nicola King accused Kev of stealing her customers because he sells cakes and refreshments from a truck outside of her café, which his son Lewis also co-owns. As Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) scanned the menu board at A Slice of Kev-en, the vet was confronted by Nicola, who lured him away with a free cream tea. "Stop nicking my customers," Nicola shouted at Kev as he vowed not to back down. "He's here to annoy me," Nicola told Ross before adding, "He's like a verruca - hard to get rid of. I'm losing a fortune."
Divorce and Confrontation
Kev then reunited with ex-husband Robert Sugden as the pair filed for divorce. It was here that Kev expressed his fears and frustrations over how he was treated by the locals, especially Nicola and Ross. Robert tried to reassure Kev that people would come around to the idea of his presence, but Kev dismissed his words. "They won't be happy until they have firebombed my trailer," Kev explained. "Ross in a long black robe and Nicola cavorting around the flames."
Fan Speculation
Despite the rivalry between Kev and Nicola, some Emmerdale fans are convinced the two have a romantic spark. Taking to X, one person wrote: "After Jimmy's written out I could see Nicola waking up one morning and realising she's slept with Kev, there's so much tension between them #Emmerdale." A second replied: "I don’t want this to happen. I really don’t know why they are killing Jimmy off, but yes, she and Kev are definitely on the cards!"
A third chimed in: "Kev & Nicola are hilarious, need more scenes with them together #Emmerdale." "Why do I feel like Nicola and Kev are gonna get paired at some point when Jimmy leaves? #Emmerdale," asked another. "Trying to figure out who Kev might hook up with rn I’m thinking either Nicola or Serena, but I can’t decide which one #Emmerdale," debated one viewer.
Emmerdale airs weekdays on ITV and ITVX.
