Who is Carrie Nicholls on Emmerdale and what happened to her?
RESIDENTS have come and gone from the Dales over the years with some leaving their families behind for a fresh start abroad.
This was most notably the case for Emmerdale character Carrie Nicholls, who lived in the village from early 2007 to 2008.
Who is Carrie Nicholls and who played her in Emmerdale?
With frequent changes to the line-up, it's easy for ITV viewers to forget who is part of the drama in the Dales.
In 2007, actress Linda Lusardi was cast in the Yorkshire-based drama as Carrie Nicholls, who was introduced in February that same year as the nurse who looked after Mary King, wife of Tom King.
Aside from her job as a nurse, Carrie is also the mother of Lexi King and Scarlett Nicholls, whom she gave birth to after an affair with Tom King.
The Kings learned about their secret sister Scarlett following the multi-millionaire's death when Carrie attended both his funeral and will-reading.
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Tom hadn't been prepared to be a full-time father for Scarlett and, as a result, the many letters he had sent to his illegitimate daughter throughout the years had been sent back to him by Carrie.
He eventually left a quarter share of Home Farm and 10% share of King and Sons to Scarlett.
Many of the King children had different reactions to Carrie's affair with Tom but they were all equally fuming to know their father had cheated on their mother while she was dying.
This inevitably triggered a feud between Carrie and some of the Kings as Matthew King wanted to get rid of both her and her daughter Scarlett by buying the latter's shares.
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Carl King was also ready to get rid of Carrie but for different reasons - it was revealed they'd had a brief fling while he was a teenager.
Jimmy King (played by Nick Miles) was the most kind-hearted of the three as he extended an olive branch to Carrie in an attempt to get to know his sister.
Scarlett refused to sell her shares and insisted on moving with Carrie to the village and buying Mill Brook Cottage, a property Matthew intended to turn into flats.
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What happened to Carrie Nicholls in Emmerdale?
As mentioned above, Carrie remained in the eponymous village for a year during which she was involved in plenty of drama.
Although the King brothers hadn't taken an instant liking to her, Carrie managed to get in their good books with time.
This most notably occurred when she became a director of the family business, King and Sons but also when she helped them persuade Rosemary King to move out of Home Farm.
Another family secret emerged when she was revealed to be Lexi's mother as it was initially believed she was her aunt and it was explained she'd given birth at the age of 14.
Carrie confided in Jimmy, with whom she became romantically involved before realising her love wasn't reciprocated.
She ended their affair and received a job offer from a former boyfriend, Nick Barrie, in Canada.
This prompted her to emigrate in February, 2008, and rekindle her romance with Nick.
Carrie left Jimmy and Lexi in charge of Scarlett prior to her departure and, although she hasn't been seen since, she has been mentioned on numerous occasions.
Soon after her exit, Scarlett went to visit her for the summer as Jimmy wanted to keep her away from Daz Eden.
She then tied the knot with Nick in Thailand before Lexi was tempted to join her in Canada after being booted out of Home Farm, but she changed her mind.
In March, 2009, Lexi married Carl King and was disappointed Carrie couldn't attend despite sending her a garter.
While no mention of her potential return has been made, soap bosses have proven they can bring any character they like.
Earlier this year, Jimmy King was reunited with his long-lost nephew Thomas who had been living in Saudi Arabia for a decade.
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Could Carrie make a similar comeback?
Emmerdale airs weeknights from 7.30pm on ITV.
