“We’re as strained at the moment as we’ve ever been.”

Emmerdale star Nick Miles has revealed an upcoming rift between Jimmy and Nicola King.

Recent episodes have seen Belle King finally reveal her husband Tom’s abuse, and it didn’t take long for the news to spread through the village. While the Dingles fought to protect Belle, Jimmy and Nicola defended their nephew Tom, even accusing Belle of lying.

However, the Kings’ united front will soon waver, according to Jimmy actor Nick Miles. In an interview with Inside Soap, Miles explained Jimmy and Nicola’s upcoming issues.

“Life at home is pretty awful for Jimmy at the moment. Nicola’s doing a lot of visiting Angel, Jimmy’s in a fight to hold onto his business, which is distracting him from looking after Nicola,” he said. “It’s a really tough time. We’re as strained at the moment as we’ve ever been.”

The star revealed that Nicola will start to become suspicious over Tom’s claims, causing more trouble for the couple.

He added: “As this story with Tom develops, we get more prised apart because Nicola sees the holes in Tom’s story before Jimmy does.”

Jimmy and Nicola haven’t always had an easy relationship, and Miles shared that Emmerdale producers had even considered splitting them up.

“We’ve been like ‘No!’ – but they haven’t done it yet! They’ve come close. Most people battle on in relationships, they try and figure out how they make them better,” said the actor. “I think that’s why the pairing is so popular, because it’s most people’s experience.

“Jimmy can be quite a stroppy git, too. He does have a dark past, so he needs Nicola. You never know quite when he’s going to lose it. He’s not as stable as he likes to think he is,” Miles explained.

As the cracks start to appear in the King family, will Jimmy realise Tom’s deceit before it’s too late?

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.