Nick Miles has opened up about his Emmerdale exit, revealing the type of roles he hopes to land next. The actor joined the ITV soap in 2004 as Jimmy King and quickly became a firm favourite with viewers. This week, the character was tragically killed off after crashing his car into Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) and Dawn Taylor's (Olivia Bromley) wedding marquee.
Although he seemed fine at first, a bloodied and battered Jimmy - trapped inside the car - grew progressively worse. In heartbreaking scenes, Jimmy took his last breath and died with his wife Nicola (Nicola Wheeler) by his side.
Nick Miles on leaving the soap
Now, Nick has addressed his exit from the village, revealing that it is "strange" to be leaving due to the soap being a huge part of his life after joining more than two decades ago. He said: "I've always known that being a King meant Jimmy was a precarious character, so while the news was shocking, it makes sense. I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunities the show presented and the life it has given me."
Gushing over his on-screen wife Nicola, Nick said: "We had such fun exploring their relationship - the deep love beneath the surface-level bickering and moaning really struck a chord with the audience."
"Off-set, we were like an old married couple, warming up our banter in the makeup room before heading to the studio floor. I will miss working with her enormously; we both cried on my last day, but we remain firm friends."
What's next for Nick Miles
Nick also reflected on his character's "sexy" storylines, including scenes with Charity (Emma Atkins), Nicola, Kelly and Sadie (Patsy Kensit). He said: "[They] were a huge surprise, especially coming from a background where I was predominantly cast as thugs or coppers."
As for what's next, Nick shared: "Looking ahead, I'm excited for new adventures. I'd be happy to return to playing coppers and thugs, and I look forward to watching Emmerdale to see how Nicola handles the mess Jimmy has left behind."
Jimmy's character transformation
Meanwhile, talking about the character of Jimmy, Nick said: "Jimmy was originally a tough, unkind character - part of a family of snakes. The turning point was the house collapse."
"I realised Jimmy needed an epiphany to survive. I took the idea of him becoming a softer, more comedic man to the producer, Kath, and she agreed. Without that shift, I think he would have been written out years ago."
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 8:00pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
