Carrie Nicholls

Carrie Nicholls was a fictional character in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Her first episode was broadcast on February 20, 2007 and is currently signed on until the end of this year.. She was introduced as the former nurse of Tom King's wife Mary. It was subsequently revealled that she was the mother of his illegitimate daughter. She was portrayed by the former page three model Linda Lusardi.^[1]

It was revealed on Friday 28 September 2007 on ITV's This Morning that Linda Lusardi had quit the soap, and would leave in early 2008.

1 Characteristics
2 About Carrie
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Characteristics

The character is initially introduced in a motherly role. Linda Lusardi believes that she is at least initially a mother doing the best for her daughter "I don't think she's greedy or money-grabbing, but he has left Scarlett something and felt she deserved it but the boys obviously don't and they don't want her near Home Farm interfering, especially Matthew. I'm behaving as a mother really, as me, I'm not standing for it". It has been suggested though that the character will be gradually transformed into that of the village bitch a role the soap is famous for among viewers. "That's where we are at the moment, but how it progresses I don't know. I mean they've sort of put me down as the Emmerdale bitch, she hasn't done anything bitchy yet, but maybe in the future there'll be something that brings that side out of her". This more controversial part is one which Lusardi has made it clear she would be willing to play.

[edit] About Carrie

Carrie is introduced to the show as the nurse who looked after the dying Mary King, the wife of former main character Tom King, and the mother of Tom's illegitimate teenager daughter, Scarlett. It was revealed that Tom had sent letters to Scarlett on an annual basis, but these letters were all returned. Despite this, Carrie was willing to accept the monthly payments that Tom provided her with and the school fees for Scarlett's private education. After Tom's death Carrie appeared at his funeral and then later at the will reading where the Kings first learned about their father's latest addition to the family dynasty. He left illegitimate Scarlett a quarter share in Home Farm and 10 percent control of King and Son's.

The King brothers all reacted very differently to Carrie, although all three were initially disgusted at the way their father cheated on their mother with Carrie whilst Mary lay dying from cancer.

Cold Matthew wanted rid of Carrie and Scarlett and tried to buy Scarlett's shares through her.

Carl was as eager to get rid of Carrie as Matthew. We subsequently discovered that he had had a one-night fling with Carrie as a teenager. Though the dates are vague in a showdown at Dale view they discussed how she took his virginity when he was a sixteen then rejected him immediately afterwards, telling him it meant "nothing". Carrie told him that she hadn't meant to hurt him, but that they should forget it as ancient history. Carl seemed wounded by this and stormed off.

Jimmy, being by far the most kind-hearted of the three, offered Carrie an olive branch so that he could get to know his young sister Scarlett.

Scarlett refused to give up her shares to Matthew and Carrie and Scarlett moved to the village - gazumping Matthew by buying Mill cottage - the property he intended to turn into profitable one bedroomed flats. When the King brothers were facing prison, Jimmy suggested that Carrie be named a director of King and Sons so that she could be caretaker should they have to do time. Matthew was against it, but Carl seconded the motion and so Carrie became a key player in the family business and took early retirement from nursing so that she could work alongside the Kings. Though the King brothers avoided prison, Carrie was still eager to keep an eye on the business.

When Rosemary returned to Emmerdale, Carrie tricked her and Carl on separate occasions with Carl confessing to Tom's murder and Rosemary confessing to bribing Hari. The latter was more disastrous when Rosemary tumbled off a balcony trying to escape and Matthew forced her to sign over everything. Carrie was welcomed into the family for helping get rid of Rosemary.

Carrie and Kelly Windsor were enemies almost from the off, with Carrie taking an immediate dislike to Kelly, and Kelly sensing Carrie's obvious jealousy of her relationship with Jimmy. It was later revealed that Carrie is Lexi's mother, not her sister. Carrie was just 14 when she had Lexi. She confided in Jimmy about this who told Kelly. As Carrie knew about Kelly's secret abortion Kelly told Carrie that if Jimmy ever heard about her abortion, Scarlett would find out that Lexi is in fact her sister, not her aunt. After declaring her love to Jimmy, which she soon realised was unreciprocated, a wounded Carrie ended their affair and soon afterwards received a job offer in Canada from an ex-boyfriend and decided to take him up on it, leaving Jimmy and Lexi in charge of Scarlett.

Carrie left the village on February 5, 2008.