Nicola

NICOLA Roberts has shared a sweet throwback snap online to honour the fifth anniversary of Girls Aloud bandmate Sarah Harding passing away.

The singer, 39, died in 2021 following a 13-month battle with advanced breast cancer.

The photo shows all five members of Girls Aloud from many years ago holding one another by the arm.

In utter disbelief about how half a decade has ticked by since Sarah passed, Nicola penned a touching tribute in the post’s caption.

She began: “It’s hard to believe it’s been five years already since Sarah’s passing.

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“So much has happened that she should have been a part of. My heart is particularly with Marie [Sarah’s mum] today.

“Sitting with myself, hormones and sleep deprivation are probably not helping but as I type I’m feeling very sad and transported to this day 5 years ago.

“Such a milestone would have most likely had this impact anyway. Most definitely for all her friends and family.”

Nicola then took a moment to gush about her friend, sharing how proud she still is of her.

She continued: “I’m also feeling proud that Sarah left such a legacy with her charity and that everyone that vowed to help her on that quest is still powering through for that silver lining she was so passionate about.

“She’s saving lives. Wish to everything she didn’t have to lose her own xx”

The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal was founded in Sarah’s honour to fund research for women experiencing cancer in their 30s.

Thanks to the charity, women aged 30 can access breast cancer checks through a trial on the NHS.

It has gone on to raise over £1million to date from various events including performances by her bandmates Cheryl Tweedy, Kimberley Walsh, Nadine Coyle, and Nicola, as well as donations.

EastEnders fans believe that Nicola Mitchell’s storyline involving her estranged family, with some claiming that her son Harry may not actually be Teddy’s son

EastEnders fans have predicted a “horrible” twist for Nicola Mitchell. In recent days, we have seen Nicola reunite with her estranged family, sisters Gemma and Jodie, as well as her mum, Rose.

While this is the first time we’ve seen Nicola’s family all together, viewers have previously been informed that she has a strained relationship with them and has distanced herself from them after growing up.

And they are also aware that Nicola was no fan of her dad and instantly shudders whenever he is mentioned. Only recently, she opened up about the abuse she endured at the hands of her dad, who died after drink driving following an argument, when she told him to leave the house during an abusive moment.

But this week, Nicola’s sister, Gemma Hawkins, stated that Harry Mitchell was the double of his grandad, Nicola’s father, leaving her enraged. “No, he’s not, he’s nothing like him,” she fumed before storming out. Harry is the son of Nicola and Teddy Mitchell, who is currently behind bars for the murder of Okie, which he lied about to protect Harry, who was suffering from addiction issues.

And in tonight’s episode, viewers saw Nicola locked in the back of a van with her mum, and it’s fair to say that this didn’t go down too well. Well, Rose asked Nicola if it had been worth “severing ties,” she replied: “I didn’t have a choice, did I? Actually, yeah, I think so, I’ve built myself a life, and I’m doing just fine without you in it.”

An enraged Rose commented: “Sounds like it, Teddy in prison for killing a drug dealer, Barney the product of a roll around with your personal trainer, oh yeah, Gemma told me all about it, what’s next? Living with a man fast approaching as many wives as Henry the 8th. And poor Harry, an addict.”

Nicola, clearly angered by her mother, hit back, explaining that the last time they spent “extended time” together was Christmas in 2009, when she was subjected to “sly digs, constantly needling,” and Rose “trying to get a reaction.”

But fans now believe that Nicola’s relationship with her mum could be down to a horrible twist. Despite viewers being told that Teddy is Harry’s dad, they now believe Nicola’s own father could be the dad of her eldest son.

Nicola has spoken openly about her dad being abusive after consuming alcohol, often leaving her fearing for the worst when he would return home.

One fan said: “I actually think it’s the start of something really dark. I instantly noticed just how much Harry looked like Nicola, and then I thought… Is it going to be some really horrible story that ends up revealing she was abused by her dad?”

They continued: “And that her mother couldn’t deal with that, and that’s why there’s been this great big falling out? Wouldn’t put it past them to do something like that. Kind of a new spin on the Kat/Zoe/Uncle Harry thing, I guess.”

Another said: “Harry is defo Nicola’s Son/ brother. He’s a product of her Dad.” While a third went on to write: “It was explained why Nicola hates her dad because she caught him beating her mum, and wishing him dead, her mum has held his death against her all these years.”

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Emmerdale star Nicola Wheeler has warned there’s more trouble ahead for Nicola King following Jimmy King’s heartbreaking death, as the fallout from the crash continues

Emmerdale star Nicola Wheeler has warned there’s more trouble ahead for her character following Jimmy King’s death.

Nick Miles departed the ITV soap last week in sad scenes when Jimmy got caught up in the marquee incident. Devastatingly, Jimmy died with Nicola by his side in heartbreaking scenes, but the fallout from the death continues.

Next week, Nicola is anxious about affording to give Jimmy the funeral he deserves. She decides to turn to Jimmy’s haulage shares for Elliot and his future, before later discovering that Jimmy has sold them.

As Nicola realises the money from the sale of the shares is missing, she discovers that they are in more financial worries than she knew. The family home has been remortgaged and in arrears and Nicola is continuing to struggle.

Speaking about her own future, she said: “She can’t believe that life is going to exist without him (Jimmy), especially as the day was supposed to start with something very romantic, and it ended in tragedy.

“Why can’t Nicola have lots of different relationships? I’ve tried to pit she should start going on dating apps and just get horrendous dates and really bad experiences. It would bring quite a bit of fun back into it.”

Warning there was quite the surprise ahead, she added: ” think the audience are gonna be mighty surprised at the life Jimmy was leading that nobody knew about. It’s unsettling because it’s totally against his personality. You would never imagine that Jimmy in this world would behave like this.”

Filming Nick’s final scenes was “surreal” for Nicola, who has worked with the actor for years.

She said: “It was really surreal. It sort of ends, and you go, ‘Oh gosh, that’s it’. We’ll never be Nick and Jimmy again together. I was gutted because I think it’s the institution that Jimmy and Nicola were, where I was sort of like, ‘oh God, that’s over’.

“Even whilst we were filming it all, it never felt real because we film out of sync. When it came to doing all the scenes where he dies, it was odd. It’s almost like you didn’t want to do it. They were beautifully written scenes, so you want to do them justice but at the same time, you don’t want them to end because then it means this is final.”

As for what’s next, Nicola has hinted there could be a new romance on the cards – from an unlikely source.

“I can’t imagine the character would ever fully move on. I think there’s always going to be part of her that loves him. Her heart will grow to fit another love in, but she will never let Jimmy go,” she explained.

“Something happens in which I can only say Nicola behaves appallingly, and Kev is a gentleman, and I think from that moment she starts to see him in a different light.”

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A new drama following Nicola Sturgeon and her estranged husband’s fall from grace has been commissioned as television movie for Channel 5 following his embezzlement scandal

Nicola Sturgeon and her estranged husband’s dramatic fall from grace is to be turned into a movie length drama for TV.

Channel 5 announced today they will make a 90 minute factual drama about how Sturgeon’s husband, Peter Murrell, embezzled £400,000 from the SNP over a 12 year period.

Called ‘To Nicola, Love Peter’ it will follow the channel’s success with Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards. The drama creators say they will draw on an extensive range of factual sources including evidence gathered by Police Scotland, The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service as well as extensive TV and newspaper interviews with Nicola Sturgeon and interviews with other key protagonists.

Ben Frow, Chief Content Officer, 5 said: “This is an epic tale of Shakespearean proportions. An extraordinary tale of power, envy, deception and greed.

“It’s both a high-stakes political melodrama and bizarre domestic drama that has dominated headlines and gossip columns. We will be pulling together the events and characters involved to create a compelling revealing drama, as well as answering that very important question – why would anyone pay £2,600 for a pair of salt & pepper grinders…?!”

In June, former SNP chief executive Murrell was sentenced to five years and three months in jail after he admitted to embezzling more than £400,000 from the party.

Murrell – the estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon – used the funds to buy goods ranging from cars and a motorhome to kitchenware and toiletries.

The Glasgow home he shared with Sturgeon was searched as part of the police operation, as was the SNP headquarters in Edinburgh.

Murrell’s largest single purchase, in 2020, was a £124,550 luxury motorhome, paid for entirely with party funds. When it was seized by police three years later, it had only ever been driven four miles.

Murrell also used party funds to buy further items including a £3,223 coffee machine, a £3,000 robotic lawn mower, £2,600 salt and pepper grinders and a £425 gold pendant that Sturgeon was photographed wearing.

Sturgeon has said she was not aware that Murrell had purchased many of the high-value items listed in court documents. The former first minister has consistently insisted that she had no reason to believe that Murrell had not used his own money for the items he was buying.

Sturgeon had stepped down as first minister in March 2023 and was arrested In June 2023. But she was later told she was not being investigated.

Last year Sturgeon announced that the pair were ending their marriage. She appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe earlier this month and in an on stage interview told the audiences she “feels like a mug” for caring about estranged husband Murrell.

She also claimed he “lied right up until he pled guilty”, and said she won’t be visiting him in prison.

Sturgeon also said: “Over the years, he never really levelled with me. The day he pled guilty, I was still learning about some of the detail of what he had done for the first time. I suddenly realised I had been living with somebody that I never really knew properly.”

Casting for ‘To Nicola, Love Peter’ is currently underway with filming likely to begin later this year. it is expected to air on 5 in 2027.

Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards pulled in almost two million viewers when it aired earlier this year on 5.

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EastEnders newcomer Jamie Bamber, who plays Ned Hawkins on the BBC soap, has teased all about what’s ahead with Nicola Mitchell, and his thoughts on joining the show

EastEnders fans will recognise new recruit Jamie Bamber from huge shows, including BBC ’s Beyond Paradise and US hit Battlestar Galactica.

But as he joins the soap as newcomer Ned Hawkins, Jamie says Walford is one of the most iconic sets he’s ever stepped on in his whole career, which spans nearly 30 years. “Seeing it in person for the first time was a real thrill,” says Jamie, 53.

“What struck me most is how real it feels. It doesn’t feel like a television set at all. It genuinely feels like a place. Because it’s so lived in and familiar, it does a lot of the work for you as an actor.” One part of the famous set in particular has already won his heart.

Jamie tells us: “I love filming in The Queen Vic because it’s where so many characters and storylines collide. As Ned is new to Walford, a lot of his early scenes involve him observing people and taking everything in. The Vic is perfect for that because you get to watch the entire community interact around you.”

With Jamie’s wealth of experience in TV and film, he was surprised to be given a mentor when he started filming. When new cast members join the show, a current cast member is assigned to them as a chaperone, to look out for them while they settle in.

Jamie’s mentor is Ian Beale actor Adam Woodyatt, something Jamie says was incredibly exciting. He tells us: “I’d never experienced getting a mentor before on a job and wondered whether, at my age, it might be a bit late in life to suddenly get a mentor!

“I was genuinely touched because Adam came in on my very first day, despite it being his day off, just to introduce himself. He even stayed to watch my first take to make sure I was okay.” Jamie is joined by other new cast members including Holby City star Patricia Potter, Marian McLoughlin, Anna Constable and Felix Uff, who make up the Hawkins family.

This isn’t Jamie’s first time working with Patricia, who plays his character Ned’s wife Gemma, who is also the sister of existing character Nicola Mitchell. Jamie tells us: “We first crossed paths around 30 years ago when we briefly overlapped at drama school, and then we worked together on my second professional job, The Scarlet Pimpernel.

“I’ve always admired Patricia’s work and energy, so knowing I was coming into the show with someone whose company I already enjoyed made the whole experience much less daunting.” There are plenty of his new co-stars that Jamie has not worked with before though. Starstruck Jamie says filming alongside some of the soap’s biggest icons has left him pinching himself.

“My first scene featured several EastEnders legends, including Letitia Dean, Michelle Collins and Gillian Taylforth,” Jamie reveals. “I was mostly sitting there watching these incredible actors do what they do best. At one point, I genuinely had an out-of-body experience and thought, ‘What am I doing here?’

“These are characters and actors that have been part of British television history for decades. It felt surreal, but also incredibly special.” Ned makes his debut next week, while some of the family have already been onscreen briefly.

Next week, Ned and his wife Gemma head to Walford, followed by Gemma’s mother Rose, her sister Jodie, and Gemma and Ned’s son, Ryder. Ned’s caught in the middle of his sister-in-law Nicola’s feud with her mother Rose, leaving the Hawkins desperate to heal their rift.

We’ll also see Ned reconnect with his old friend Alfie Moon, who owns The Queen Vic with his wife Kat Slater. But while Ned initially appears as the perfect man, Jamie warns upcoming scenes could change this perception for viewers.

“Ned is somebody who appears very put together. He’s enjoyed a great deal of success in life, but when we meet him, everything has fallen apart and he’s having to start again.

“Ned certainly presents himself as the image of the perfect man, and he’s somebody who places a great deal of importance on maintaining appearances. Often, when someone works that hard to keep up appearances, it’s because there’s more going on beneath the surface.

“There’s a real depth to him, and as the weeks go on, we’ll start to peel back those layers and discover that Ned is a far more complex character than he first appears.” Jamie also hints that there is a secret Ned and Nicola are keeping to themselves, that viewers will not be let in on for the time being.

Jamie says: “It’s clear that Ned and Nicola know each other extremely well, but there’s also something unspoken between them. There’s a fascinating push-and-pull dynamic at play. You get the sense that there’s something that binds them together just as strongly as something keeps them apart.

“There are secrets and a history that neither of them is willing to talk about openly. Over time, viewers will discover exactly what lies behind that complicated relationship.”

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