Nicola Sian Thorp was born in Blackpool and attended Arnold School, where she held the position of deputy head girl. Her family runs a Blackpool rock factory, established by her grandfather in 1962. Thorp is a broadcaster, columnist, activist, and former actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Nicola Rubinstein in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, as well as her contributions to Metro newspaper, This Morning, and Talk Today. She studied acting at the Arts Educational Schools (ArtsEd) in London from 2007 to 2010. In 2018, Thorp took part in Sport Relief’s “Clash of the Channels” boat race for ITV and began writing a regular column for Metro.co.uk, with her first piece focusing on period poverty. Since 2019, Thorp has been a frequent contributor to This Morning.
Thorp began her role as Nicola Rubinstein on Coronation Street on 12 June 2017, playing the daughter of street villain Pat Phelan (played by Connor McIntyre). Her last appearance as Nicola was on 13 June 2018, marking the end of her storyline. On 11 November 2018, it was announced that Thorp would reprise her role as Nicola, returning from 21 January to 1 February 2019.
In 2018, Thorp participated in a charity project with 26 other celebrities at Metropolis Studios, recording an original Christmas song titled Rock With Rudolph. Written and produced by Grahame and Jack Corbyn, the song was released digitally on 30 November 2018 through independent label Saga Entertainment, with proceeds going to Great Ormond Street Hospital. The song was credited to The Celebs and peaked at number two on the iTunes pop chart. Its music video debuted exclusively online with The Sun newspaper on 29 November 2018 and was later shown on Good Morning Britain on 30 November 2018.
Thorp made headlines in 2016 after revealing an experience at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she worked as a temp receptionist. She claimed that after refusing to wear high heels—mandated by the agency’s “female grooming” policies—she was sent home without pay. Thorp launched an online petition to highlight the situation, which gained nearly 110,000 signatures in under 48 hours. The petition garnered significant media attention and political support, including from MPs Margot James, Caroline Dinenage, and Tulip Siddiq. Thorp appeared on Good Morning Britain to discuss the issue and clashed with host Piers Morgan.
Later, Thorp gave evidence to a Parliamentary select committee and wrote articles in the media, clarifying that she was not anti-high heels but believed their use should not be mandatory for certain roles. As a result of the campaign, the temp agency Portico amended its policies. In a 2018 interview with Emma Barnett on Radio 5 Live, Thorp revealed she had suffered a nervous breakdown six years earlier due to depression, and she has since been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.
By 2018, Thorp was living on a canal boat, moving between different moorings while using her parents’ postal address. She campaigned for the Labour Party during the 2019 general election, believing that a Labour government could revitalise seaside towns such as Blackpool. Thorp married actor Nikesh Patel in the summer of 2024, after being in a relationship since 2021 and getting engaged in 2023. The couple participated in series five of Celebrity Hunted that year. They welcomed a daughter in January 2024.
Nicola Thorp at the House of Commons, London, where a bid to make it illegal for companies to require women to wear high heels at work will be debated by MPs later.
Coronation Street actors Nicola Thorp and Charlie de Melo taking part in the 2018 Manchester Pride Parade.
