Emmerdale’s Nicola star issues warning to parents after adult content storyline

Actress Nicola Wheeler, who plays Nicola King in Emmerdale, has opened up about her latest storyline and how it’s impacted her personal life

Soap star Nicola Wheeler has opened up about her Emmerdale character’s latest storyline, admitting that it has impacted the way in which she parents her son in real life.

The actress portrays Nicola King in the ITV soap, and in recent scenes she and husband Jimmy King (Nick Miles) had to face the consequences of the actions of Carl (Charlie Munro Joyce), their adoptive son.

Carl was taken into police custody for circulating an indecent image of Clemmie Reed (Mabel Addison), having forwarded it to his peers after being sent it by someone else.

Appearing on This Morning on Wednesday (15 October), Nicola admitted: “When I was talking to the producer about this storyline, I had no idea that a child sending those kind of images was actually committing a crime.”

She added: “Because, Carl got sent the picture, he didn’t ask for it, the moment he then forwards it on, he’s then sharing indecent photos of a child.”

The soap favourite went on to explain how the storyline has prompted her to reconsider her 10-year-old son’s internet use at home, and is keen to avoid giving him a smartphone at a young age.

“My little boy is 10, he’s the same age as the character Carl. He hasn’t got a phone, but how many children do have phones at that age?” Nicola told hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard.

She continued: “I’m not a saint mother, he does have an iPad and obviously, he can scroll. I’ve only just reset the settings for YouTube, for instance. I don’t want him seeing adult content.

“There’s a fact, isn’t there? If you doom scroll for half an hour you’re going to see adult content.”

Nicola then spoke of the “responsibility” parents have to monitor their child’s internet use, adding: “We have a responsibility as parents to just check in with our kids. Or maybe just not give them phones in the first place.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Nicola spoke about spending over two decades playing Nicola in Emmerdale, having been cast in the role back in 2001.

She recalled her very first day on set, revealing she acted alongside Kate McGregor, who played Emily Kirk in the soap, with a clip of her first scene then played as she took a look back at her lengthy soap career.