Claire King, 57, has reprised her iconic role as Kim Tate on Emmerdale after a 20-year break from the show. During her departure from the Yorkshire Dales, the British actress appeared on rival soap Coronation Street as Erica Holroyd in 2014 before she exited Weatherfield in 2017. But the star has spoken out about her time on the latter show and admitted her character was “fairly forgettable”. Speaking to OK! magazine, she spilled: “I had a great time on Corrie but my character didn’t do an awful lot, so I think she was fairly forgettable.”
However, the Emmerdale star still continues to keep in touch with her former co-star Dev Alahan who plays Jimmi Harkishin on Coronation Street.
She said: “I loved working with Jimmi Harkishin [who plays Dev Alahan] though; we’re still in touch.”
Speaking about her recent return to Emmerdale, Claire has spoken about the fan response she has received and admitted it has not all been positive.
She recently revealed that she has come under fire when out and about due to her on-screen persona’s controversial behaviour.
The actress said some fans of the show get so immersed in the storyline that they forget Kim is not a real person.
In a particularly dramatic moment of confusion, Claire was physically attacked by an angry viewer who wasn’t very fond of Kim’s treatment of her husband Frank Tate, who was a fixture in the soap from 1989 to 1997.
She recalled: “Some people think I’m really Kim Tate because they forget the show isn’t real life.
“I was hit over the head with an umbrella in M&S by an old lady once because Kim had been cruel to Frank!”
On her return, Claire revealed she wanted to ensure she done her character “justice” having been away from the soap for two decades.
The soapstar divulged: “Kim is an iconic character and viewers remember her very fondly so I was nervous about doing the role justice again.”
She added that social media has introduced an element of criticism that she was previously unfamiliar with.
The star said: “A lot has changed since I’ve been away.
“Everybody’s a critic now thanks to social media and some of the comments can be very cutting but I try not to read what is written about me.”
Meanwhile, during a recent episode of Emmerdale, a new character was introduced much to the dismay of Kim Tate.
Kim’s son, Jamie Tate (played by Alexander Lincoln) was horrified when he saw his mother having an argument with his wife, Andrea (Anna Nightingale).
Unbeknownst to Kim, she was arguing with her daughter-in-law and it appeared the two were not starting their relationship on the best foot.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV.