Claire King has a lot to celebrate at the moment. After turning 60 in January, the glamorous actress is getting ready to commemorate another milestone – the 50th anniversary of Emmerdale.
Bradford-born Claire first appeared in the soap in 1989, playing the deliciously devious Kim Tate for a decade before leaving to star in shows such as Bad Girls, Hollyoaks and Coronation Street.
She then returned to the part of Kim in 2018 and her feisty character now has a central role in the soap’s big anniversary storyline.
“I was absolutely flattered and honoured to be quite central to this story as it’s 50 years of Emmerdale,” says Claire. “Strange to think that when I joined and I only had a contract for about 12 weeks, that I’d be here in the 50th.”
The anniversary episodes include the run-up to Kim’s wedding, in which she’s set to marry Will Taylor, played by Dean Andrews. And, as every soap fan knows, a wedding means high drama – and Kim and Will’s nuptials prove to be no exception.
To kick things off, Kim turns up for her big day on a horse – “Kim does entrances and exits very well,” says Claire, laughing – riding side-saddle in her wedding outfit.
“It’s a statement look,” Claire says of her costume. “I love it. She arrives through the village and there are various stalls and lots of bunting and fanfare and there’s a brass band. People are lining the road, so it’s a grand entrance.”
However, a storm threatens the festivities as everyone is leaving the church. “The winds really start taking off, so they make a quick exit to Home Farm for the reception, by which time the storm is really brewing, knocking down trees and taking roots off,” explains Claire. “Trees have come down and you can’t get cars through, so very few people actually make it to the reception.”
Emmerdale has had some huge, climactic sequences in the past – including the 1993 plane crash (“that was really full on because it was done in November and was night shoots”). The storm of 2022 promises to be just as dramatic, as Kim has to ride off to the rescue when one of the residents goes missing.
“There was a lot of riding, jumping through woods with giant wind machines blowing and a few stunts with the horse,” Claire says, adding that she didn’t complete filming without getting an injury herself.
“A week or two afterwards, I had this swelling in my nose and then it puffed up under my eye. I got my doctor to give me some antibiotics because I thought I had got some sort of infection. But then the weekend after, I blew my nose and out came a seed pod! I think it must have got lodged in from when we were doing all the woods stuff, because there’s so much dirt, leaves, dust and soil.
“It must have blown up with all these wind machines and I was not protecting my nose or anything, which you wouldn’t even think about. It must have got lodged there, stuck there for a week and turned septic.”
Happily, Claire has now recovered. She was able to film the opening scene of the anniversary episode, portraying Kim on horseback overlooking the village – a scene that may look familiar to longstanding fans of Emmerdale.
“The opening episode of Emmerdale Farm in 1972 had the lady riding horseback and she cantered down this hill,” Claire explains. “And we’ve actually replicated that for the special, so that was amazing.”
If Kim looks comfortable in the saddle on Emmerdale, it’s because in real life Claire is an experienced rider who owns her own horses.
“I’ve had to get rid of a couple, actually,” she says, sadly. “I say get rid of two of them – I’ve offloaded them to friends. I just haven’t had the time [to look after them]. People wouldn’t do that with children! But I just don’t have the time because I’ve just been working seven days a week, which is awful. I would like a little bit more of a work/life balance, hopefully.”
Like Kim, Claire has a home in the countryside, where she lives with her partner.
“It’s not as damp as Home Farm, I can tell you,” she says. “I wouldn’t want their electricity bill, let’s put it that way! I’m in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by land with cows, horses, goats, sheep and chickens. So it’s not too dissimilar to Kim’s life. I guess [Kim and I] have got the same work ethic. We’re both hard grafters. But I think I’ve got a bit of a better sense of humour. And I don’t go around killing people!”
Claire was married to her Emmerdale co-star Peter Amory (who played Kim’s stepson Chris Tate) from 1994 until they separated in 2004. She’s since been in a relationship that she’s successfully kept out of the public eye for more than a decade.
“It is easy, really [to keep the relationship private],” she says. “A) I don’t live in London where there are loads of paps to get you and B) I don’t think anyone is particularly interested at my age any more. He’s got absolutely no interest in the business anyway, so it’s easy. And I think it’s just nice to have a life separate from your work and your day job. I find it keeps you balanced, grounded and, you know, a bit healthier and happier.”
For Claire’s 60th birthday, the couple had a quiet celebration – “we took ourselves off to a local hotel with a seafood restaurant” – because, she explains, she’s not a fan of big celebrations.
“But I did say I would probably have something during the summer, but obviously this summer has been a write-off because of filming – there’s been no time to do anything. I’ll save it [the party] for next year and pretend I’m 60 again,” she says.
In the meantime, Claire is being kept busy with her Emmerdale storylines. “I guess Kim’s got fingers in pies all over the village. So it makes me kind of part of everyone else’s storylines. There really isn’t a better character. It’s a gift really to play her.”
Fans have even seen Kim’s softer side recently, in sweet scenes with her granddaughter Millie, played by Willow Bell. “You’ve got to [show other sides] because you don’t want a one-dimensional character,” she says. “I don’t want to be thought of as this kind of evil witch the whole time. You want several layers to a character, so it’s nice to have had that.
“But I don’t want Kim to be completely soft forever…”
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