Hollyoaks’ Nikki Sanderson spending lockdown doing DIY with boyfriend of five years

HOLLYOAKS beauty NIKKI SANDERSON is making the most of lockdown - by enjoying quality time with her boyfriend of five years.

Gorgeous Nikki, who first shot to fame in Coronation Street as feisty schoolgirl Candice Stowe 21 years ago, is more loved-up than ever with other half Greg Whitehurst.

And with Greg having taken on a number of DIY projects around the home, he’s definitely racking up the brownie points with the actress.

She said: “Greg and I are very lucky because we live in the countryside so there aren’t many people about. We’ve been doing work outs together in the back garden.

“And Greg’s been doing all his DIY stuff, he’s doing really well. I’m very impressed.

“We’ve been together over five years now and we’re happier than ever. We drive each other bonkers but in the best way. We’re happy.

“People always ask: ‘Are you going to get engaged? Are you going to have babies? When are you going to get married?

“Obviously we would like all that one day but we’re just happy doing us right now.”

Last month Hollyoaks was forced to stop filming due to the Coronavirus pandemic and Nikki has been at home with Greg ever since.

She turned 36 at the end of March, and can’t wait to celebrate properly with her family.

And on her birthday she added: “It wasn’t really a birthday so I think I can claim that I’m still 35. When lockdown’s done then I guess I’ll have to turn 36!

“I still had a lovely day. It was difficult because I’m very family oriented so not being able give my mum a cuddle or see my niece and nephews was hard.

“But there are a lot of people going through so much at the moment, and my heart breaks for them, so I’m not complaining at all.

“A birthday is just a day, people have lost their loved ones and can’t even attend their funerals, so it’s really not that important.

“My family and friends are all safe and that’s all that matters right now.”

Nikki has played Maxine Minniver in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks for nearly eight years.

During that time she’s been at the centre of some of the soap’s biggest storylines and has tackled hard-hitting issues such as domestic abuse and Munchausen Syndrome.

The cast are all in touch to keep their spirits up, and Nikki admits that they are all just taking one day at a time.

She added: “We’ve got a group chat and we all talk to each other. You’re just wanting everyone around you to be healthy and safe.

“You just hope that coming out the other end that it brings everyone a bit closer together. Hopefully it will make the world a kinder place.

“Everyone who works on the show is just taking one day at a time. We don’t know what’s going on or what’s going to happen.

“Obviously a lot of stuff is going to have to be re-written and there will be changes but it’s a day by day thing.

“We’ve got the big 25th anniversary later this year and we’d heard rumours about what was being planned.

“Hollyoaks is a fantastic show to work on, with a really good team and I’m sure whatever happens they will manage to do something big for the 25th.”

Later this month viewers will see Nikki take on a new challenge as she joins celebs Katie Price, Joey Essex, Anthea Turner and Brendan Cole on Celeb SAS: Who Dares Wins.

And the star, who recently admitted suffering horrific bullying when she first found fame, told how she took on the test feeling her strongest yet.

Nikki said: “What happened to me when I was younger has definitely made me stronger. I’ve got a thicker skin now.

“Don’t get me wrong when people do say horrible and nasty things, I can’t say that it doesn’t affect me, because I am only human.

“But you can’t just accept all the positivity that comes with the job, you’ve got to accept the negativity too.

“As I’ve got older I’ve learnt to deal with it differently. I try not to let it seep in and affect me too much.

“I still feel so blessed to have been given so many incredible opportunities over the last 21 years and hopefully my acting career will long continue.

“I’ve worked hard and will always be the same. I’m always going to be respectful, kind and nice to everybody. Nothing that’s happened is ever going to change me.

"Obviously it was really hard keeping the fact that I'd done SAS a secret and now that it's out I'm really excited for every to watch it, but I'm also a little bit terrified."

Hollyoaks returns to Channel 4 tomorrow night at 6.30pm.