Claire King, best known for playing Kim Tate on Emmerdale, has experienced heartbreak and health struggles away from the ITV soap. The actress first joined the show in 1989 and has been involved in numerous major storylines, including feuds and faking her own death.
Romance and split with co-star
During her first stint in the Dales, Claire met her future husband, Peter Amory, who played Chris Tate, the son of Kim's husband Frank (Norman Bowler). The couple married in 1994 and stayed together for a decade.
Their marriage ended after allegations that Peter had been unfaithful with fellow Emmerdale actress Samantha Giles, who played Bernice Blackstock. Claire later found love again and is now married to a man who stays out of the public eye, and she is stepmother to his two children.
Facelift and career boost
Claire has been open about having a mini facelift a few years ago. She had the procedure after work dried up and she felt she was competing at auditions against actors who had gone under the knife.
The single-stitch facelift gave her the boost she needed, and she soon landed the role of Erica Holroyd in Coronation Street. She said: "It got me out of that black hole. My agent at the time had said, 'Right, what you need is a facelift.' It got me loads of work because I just felt better about myself and it gave me a little perk up."
Speaking to Hello! Magazine, she said: "When I looked at my double chin and sagging jawline, I was prepared to try a cosmetic procedure to improve my chances of being offered new parts in the job I loved." After the operation, she said: "My life started to take off again. I felt happier and more upbeat."
Health struggles with arthritis
Claire has also battled rheumatoid arthritis, diagnosed in her late 20s. In 2020, she had to take a break from filming Emmerdale to isolate at home during the coronavirus lockdown.
She told OK! magazine: "I struggled to go to work and do the things I love, like horse-riding, because of the terrible pressure it put on my knees. I can certainly relate to the 'invisible disease' – although my symptoms don't always show, it doesn't mean I'm not in pain or feeling exhausted."
Her condition became so severe that she had the joints in her fingers removed and replaced with plates to relieve symptoms. She also told OK! Magazine in 2020: "When I get a flare-up, it's not nice and it does make you feel very tired. If I'm on location in winter, the cold feels like it gets to your bones. Often people don't see it as an issue because you aren't in a wheelchair or limping, but they look after me on the show and give me more indoor scenes during winter."
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 8:00pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
