Emmerdale Star Confirms Nicola and Laurel Feud in Hard-Hitting Story — Here’s Why They Fall Out
A Powerful New Feud in the Dales
Emmerdale star Nicola Wheeler has opened up about the upcoming explosive storyline that will see Nicola King and Laurel Thomas fall out over one of the soap’s most sensitive and hard-hitting plots.
Next week, Nicola and husband Jimmy (Nick Miles) are forced to face the shocking truth about their adoptive son Carl Holliday (Charlie Munro Joyce), after he’s taken into police custody for sharing an indecent image of Clemmie Reed (Mabel Addison) — Dawn Fletcher’s daughter.
The disturbing incident sends shockwaves through the village, testing friendships and forcing both families to confront the realities of online safety and parental responsibility.
Why Nicola and Laurel Clash
Speaking about the intense storyline, Nicola Wheeler revealed that the fallout will cause a serious rift between her character and Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy).
“While Laurel is unhappy it’s going as far as it is, she does agree what Carl did was wrong,” Wheeler explained. “Her sympathy lies with Clemmie.”
Laurel believes that Clemmie — who’s left devastated and humiliated by what’s happened — deserves empathy and support. Nicola, however, is deeply protective of her son and feels torn between defending him and acknowledging his mistake.
“Ultimately, Clemmie has to face that embarrassment and gets to the point where she wants to change school, she might get bullied,” Wheeler continued. “She has to face consequences — everyone knows what she looks like in her underwear, she’s deeply ashamed. Carl will get over it quicker than Clemmie, so the sympathy from others is for her.”
Nicola’s Guilt and Denial
For Nicola, the storyline hits hard as she’s forced to confront the idea that her parenting may have failed Carl.
“The biggest mistake her and Jimmy made was giving Carl a phone in the first place and not monitoring it,” Wheeler admitted.
She added that the upcoming episodes will show how little most parents truly understand about what their children are exposed to online.
“There are some wonderful scenes with Laurel — they have no clue what their children are looking at [online], what their children can be exposed to when they’re not even looking for it,” she said. “Not always searching nasty little websites with misogynistic men — it might be pop-ups, and suddenly they’re dragged into something else.”
“The way algorithms work, they feed into a system they don’t understand and are being exposed to things nobody should be exposed to — adults or children.”
Olivia Bromley: “I Was Shocked”
Olivia Bromley, who plays Clemmie’s mother Dawn, also spoke about the importance of the storyline — and how it reflects a real and growing issue.
“I was really shocked when I first read this storyline because the children who are involved in it are so young,” Bromley told Soap Scoop. “It’s a real problem.”
“I also think that, on this side of the incident photographs, Dawn expected to have more time to be able to prepare her child for going out in the world. That’s what’s caught her off guard… I’m really glad we’re doing this story.”
What’s Next
The upcoming episodes will see the feud between Nicola and Laurel intensify as both women struggle to cope — one as the mother of the perpetrator, the other as the friend of the victim’s family.
With tensions already high and the village taking sides, the storyline is set to tackle difficult but vital questions about technology, parenting, and the hidden dangers facing children in the digital age.