Claire King has been on television for nearly 40 years after landing her first acting role in 1987 appearing in film Eat the Rich after gaining recognition as part of the pop group To Be Continued.
However, the soap icon is most famous for playing Emmerdale baddie Kim Tate, arriving in the Dales in 1989. She played the role for 10 years before departing for other job opportunities including roles on Bad Girls and Coronation Street.
Claire made a triumphant return to the Dales in 2018 and has been at the heart of the drama ever since. Claire also once found love on set with co-star Peter Amory, who portrayed Chris Tate on the show.
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The pair got hitched in 1994 and were together for a decade. Their marriage, however, ended abruptly when it was alleged that Peter had been unfaithful with fellow Emmerdale star Samantha Giles, who played Bernice Blackstock.
“I had a feeling that something was going on,” she told the Mirror in 2005. “I was working in London and we were spending less and less time together. I was travelling back to Yorkshire every weekend. I remember Pete saying that I only came back to see my dogs and horses… and I thought: ‘Well, yeah, and to catch you at it!’.
“But then it was Samantha’s husband who wrote me a letter and told me. That was about four years ago. I questioned Pete and he admitted it had been going on for a while. He told me it was over but then it started again. “
Despite the heartbreak, Claire found love again and is now happily married. Her husband prefers to stay away from the limelight, and she is a stepmother to his two teenage children.
Opening-up about family life during an interview with OK!, Claire said: “My ex-husband Pete had a son, so luckily I’d already had the experience of toddler to teenager. So when my current partner arrived in my life and I gained two teenagers I was already well prepared.
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“I like to think I was there for them through a few of their growing years. We all get on like a house on fire now – and as they’re older, we’re drinking partners!”.
She added: “My ex didn’t want children as he already had one and by the time we split up, I was just on the verge of missing that window. But then I started getting ill and had to have a hysterectomy, so I just accepted it wasn’t meant to be for me.
“So when my current partner arrived in my life and I gained two teenagers, I was already well prepared. I like to think I was there for them through a few of their growing years.”
The TV icon also has also suffered from arthritis for years which impacted how much she enjoyed taking part in Strictly Come Dancing, where she finished in sixth place with pro dancer Brendan Cole.
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Claire said: “When I was first diagnosed I was worried, as I was ignorant to the ins and outs of it. I was only in my twenties.
“Over the years they’ve improved various treatments, so my doctors are very good. I manage it. I have various pills and injections every week and I just get on with it. There are certain things I can’t do at work, like wearing killer heels for more than five minutes.
“And the costume department has to do up all of my buttons, as it takes me ages. Doing my hair and make-up takes me a bit longer too, as I’ve got metal in some of my fingers.”
Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX
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