Kimberley Hart-Simpson has paid tribute to her late father who she described as a 'hardcore' Coronation Street fan. The actress, who plays Nicky Wheatley in the ITV soap, took to Instagram with a sweet message in tribute to her dad.
Sharing a photo of him to her Instagram Story over the weekend, Kimberly wrote: "This is my dad. Today is his birthday. 21 again. He is no longer with us but will never leave me." She added that he was "one of my biggest driving forces" before sharing the things he loved.
"It's my duty to keep talking about him so his soul still exists. Here's to parents lost and living," the 35-year-old added with a heart. "Things he loved. 1. Cups of tea 2. Corrie (hardcore) 3. Drumming. 4. Getting on my nerves. 5. Moaning (highly skilled)."
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The soap star then handed her post: "And I miss every single element of him." Kimberly has previously spoken candidly about her father's death in 2020 and how he dreamed of her appearing on the cobbles in Corrie.
"My dad was a massive Corrie fan. Every time I went to him, even if I hadn’t seen him in a month, he’d want me to shut up while it was on," she previously told The Sun.
"I think it might have mattered more to him than I did." She added: "Unfortunately, I lost my dad in 2007. One of the last things he said to me was, 'Just do me a favour and get on Corrie, love.' We had that shared connection with it."
Kimberley has since returned to Instagram with a message of thanks to her followers. "I am overhwlemd with the love you have shown on my posts, about my dad's bday and sharing your experience with loss. Normally I will always try to reply but this week work is taking over but Just know I see them and I appreciate you taking the time out." She then added: "All in this together."
Kimberly first appeared in the Salford-based soap in June 2020 when she met recently widowed Daniel Osbourne. It wasn't long before Daniel, whose wife Sinead Tinker died from cervical cancer in 2019, discovered Nicky was an escort and after being shocked at first, he later started paying her to dress in his wife's clothes as he struggled through his grief.
After a four-month stint, Kimberly bowed out of the soap as Nicky, with the help of Daniel, started a new life with her daughter away from Weatherfield. She then made a surprise return earlier this year as Nicky landed a job as a teaching assistant at the same school Daniel works at, Weatherfield High. However, that all started to fall apart when Max Turner overheard Daniel and new girlfriend rowing in the street about his relationship with Nicky and discovering her past work before leaking images and videos.
Kimberley has previously said how her father told her on his deathbed: "Just do me a favour and get Corrie, love," a wish she finally fulfilled after 10 years of trying. She told the Mirror in 2020: "He would be beaming with pride and would tell everyone. He’d go in a shop and someone would ask him, ‘Where’s the biscuits?’ and he’d say, ‘My daughter’s in Corrie.’ He’d say it for no reason. It would have meant the world to him, but I know he’ll know."
