ITV and Coronation Street star Kimberly Hart-Simpson has revealed she has been targeted by online trolls for being pansexual.
The actor returned to the famous cobbles last week as former sex worker Nicky Wheatley to cause drama for new couple Daniel Osbourne and Daisy Midgeley on the popular soap.
Pansexual is the romantic or sexual attraction to people of any sex or gender identity, and Kimberly has told the Sunday People she's been sent cruel memes after coming out.
But she says in real-life she's 'happy to be single' and she's proud to be pansexual, taking the reaction in her stride.
The 35-year-old actor said: "I've had a couple of memes. Me holding a Tefal pan, because I’m 'pan-sexual', but that's alright.
"People saying it's a stunt are not my problem. That's their problem."
Kimberly revealed she is pansexual in January 2021 ahead of her appearance on Celebs Go Dating.
She said she wasn't fussed about what gender her future partner might be as she appeared on the E4 dating show.
"I have dated people who are male, female, transgender…" she told the Mirror. "Gender is completely irrelevant to me.
"We're all on different spectrums. There are many qualities about me I would deem just as much male as female. It's about the person, not what sex they were born. I just fancy everybody."
Fans last saw her Coronation Street character Nicky in September 2020 when she grew close to teacher Daniel after the tragic death of his wife Sinead Tinker.
The pair spent time together as Nicky helped widower Daniel to navigate through his grief.
She left to start a new life in Lytham with money stolen by Daniel from vile abuser Geoff Metcalfe.
Now she's back with a huge career change as a teaching assistant at Weatherfield High.
But Daniel's girlfriend Daisy is far from happy to see her around lied that Daniel had moved away.
Kimberly believes she brought on her own return to the street through drawing up her goals in life and visualising her comeback.
She explained: "This is not for everyone, but I like vision boards, things that I want in my life I want to see in front of me on the daily - it gives me direction and purpose."
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