Ever since Nicky Miligan (Lewis Cope) arrived in Emmerdale in 2022, he has caused quite a stir in the eponymous village and caught the attention of fans of the ITV soap.
From his interest in Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham) to the suspicions of a secret identity, all came to bear when it was revealed that Nicky was, in fact, the son of Caleb Miligan (William Ash), with the two teaming up to take down Kim Tate (Claire King).
Caleb had a secret of his own, being the son of Kim’s ex-husband Frank, and he had roped his son into his scheming ways to get their hands on Home Farm!
In a further twist, Nicky couldn’t go through with his plans to marry Gabby, coming clean with her and revealing that he was in fact gay and in a secret relationship.
Since then we’ve seen him and new boyfriend Suni Sharma (Brahmdeo Shannon Ramana) caught up in a horrific homophobic attack outside of a nightclub, something which will resurface this week.
Suni phones to say he’s in danger again, and as Nicky and Ethan Anderson (Emile John) rush to his rescue, they find themselves involved in a catastrophic car accident.
With so much drama revolving around the character, fans are naturally curious about the actor who plays him.
So, let’s turn our attention to Lewis Cope and find out a little more about the life and relationships of the Emmerdale star…
Who is Lewis Cope?
Lewis Cope, 29, is an English actor from Hartlepool who has played Nicky Milligan on Emmerdale since December 2022.
In the past he’s appeared in BBC daytime soap Doctors and the ITV drama Vera, which is filmed in his home region of the North East.
He began his career on the stage however after taking up dancing from a young age, appearing as one of the leading roles in Billy Elliot: The Musical on the West End when he was just 11.
Keen fans may also recognise Lewis from the advert for David Beckham’s fragrance Bold Instinct after Lewis’ story caught the eye of the soccer superstar.
Lewis discussed his family life during an appearance on ITV’s Lorraine, and that he has a lot of brothers and sisters – and we mean a lot.
Lorraine asked ‘Because everybody’s so friendly, and it is a family, a big family. You are used to that. How many brothers and sisters have you got?’
‘So I’m one of 14,’ he replied, much to Lorraine’s surprise.
She exclaimed: ’14! Good grief, what is Christmas like round at your house?’. to which he responded: ‘Lovely, yeah. I love it!’
Upon his casting, he told Luxe magazine: ‘It’s very surreal. My Nana loves Emmerdale, she’s watched it religiously for as long as I can remember. To now be part of the show she loves so much is amazing.’
Does Lewis Cope have a girlfriend?
Lewis does indeed have a girlfriend, fellow actor and fitness instructor Rachel Lopez, with the couple often pictured together on each other’s Instagram.
Lopez is originally from Dublin, with them spending time in her home city in Christmas 2022.
At the time, Lewis wrote: ‘6 years of Dublin at Christmas with you 💫 Wouldn’t have it any other way❤️’
Other snaps include numerous envious shots of sun-drenched getaways to the Greek islands of Mykonos and Naxos, with one photo of the pair sweetly stating ‘thank you for being you.’
Will Nicky die in the Emmerdale car crash?
When Suni recognises one of his attackers in the bar he’s in, he reaches out to Nicky who is out with Ethan at The Hide.
In an act of desperation, Nicky decides to get behind the wheel and drive there, but Ethan (Emile John) approaches and says he’s too intoxicated, so he’ll drive instead.
As they set off to get to save Suni, Ethan spots a police car. He turns around, too afraid of being caught over the limit. However, just as Nicky struggles to get hold of Suni on the phone, Ethan loses control of the car and they crash.
In the aftermath, when Ethan comes round, he carefully pulls Nicky from the car.
He then chooses to hide after spotting a car approaching.
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As Moira (Natalie J Robb) discovers an unconscious Nicky, Ethan watches it all unfold – and then chooses to run away.
In an interview with Lorraine Kelly on her self-titled ITV daytime show this morning (9th May), the two chatted about the storyline.
‘Well we don’t want to give anything away, because Emmerdale is on tonight at half past seven, but I just hope that you’re still going to be with us because we know that the car crash is going to be a bad one’ she asked.
Lewis chirped in, with a cheeky smile, and added: ‘Maybe I’m dead.’
Lorraine was devastated and replied: ‘No, don’t say that! Don’t say that, don’t say that. We’ll all be watching anyway!’
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