Coronation Street star Kimberly Hart-Simpson reveals heartbreaking reason she works in charity shops
KIMBERLY Hart-Simpson has opened up about working in charity shops when she's not filming for Coronation Street.
The 35-year-old has taken up a volunteering position at the British Heart Foundation - and it's for a very personal reason.
Actress Kimberly, who plays Nicky Wheatley in the ITV soap, said: "A few years ago [my sister] Emma became poorly and after going back and forth to the doctors for a long time she was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy.
"The condition has been life-altering for her - she has a lot of different symptoms and has good and bad days but can’t predict when they will be, it can be frustrating when she feels fine one day but can’t do anything the next.
"Because of Emma’s experience, it has pushed me to use my platform so
everybody knows about the charity and it’s a definite driver for me to
carry on shopping there."
Kimberly - set to return to Corrie in spring - added that she mostly keeps herself hidden away in the stockroom while working at the store.
She told the Mirror: "I often tend to stick downstairs in the stockroom
where I can rummage through the donations and steam them to prep them for sale, but I have worked on the shop floor as well and it’s lovely
chatting to customers coming in. You meet the best people."
Kimberly added: "The charity have done a big volunteering drive as the numbers of shop volunteers they had fell after lockdown, so I’ve been doing it around my schedule and it’s become a home from home to me."
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The Sun exclusively revealed Kimberly would be reprising her role of sex worker Nicky, after she left the show and went on to appear on E4's Celebs Go Dating: The Mansion.
Nicky’s return to the cobbles will cause chaos for ex love Daniel Osbourne and his relationship with barmaid Daisy Midgeley.
Single mum Nicky was last seen in September 2020 when she moved away after Daniel paid off her debts so she could quit prostitution.
A source said: “Daniel’s world is going to be rocked when Nicky unexpectedly turns up on the cobbles.
“She was there for him in his darkest hour after Sinead’s death but he didn’t think he’d ever see her again.
“Now he’s secretly with Daisy but could Nicky put the final nail in the coffin for their seemingly doomed relationship?”
