CONGRATULATIONS! Coronation Street star receives an outpouring of support after pregnancy news and reveals her baby’s adorable name.
Coronation Street star Nicola Thorp has announced she is expecting her second child with husband Nikesh Patel, sharing the happy news with a touching family photoshoot.
The actress and broadcaster confirmed the pregnancy in a joint Instagram post on Saturday, where the couple shared a collection of portraits celebrating their growing family.
Their two-year-old daughter also featured in the announcement, with one particularly sweet photograph showing her kissing Nicola’s baby bump.
The post was quickly flooded with messages from friends, fellow television stars and former Coronation Street colleagues congratulating the couple.
Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse was among the first to celebrate, writing: “Congratulations, lovely.”
Presenter Paul Gorton also sent his best wishes, describing the announcement as “amazing news”.
Nicola’s former co-stars were equally excited.
Sue Cleaver, who played Eileen Grimshaw on the ITV soap, joked that her goddaughter would make “the best big sister”, while Kym Marsh, known to viewers as Michelle Connor, also congratulated the couple.
Nicola and Nikesh Prepare to Expand Their Family
The new arrival will be Nicola and Nikesh’s second child.
The couple welcomed their daughter in January 2024 and shared their joy with followers shortly afterwards.
At the time, Nicola described herself and Nikesh as both exhausted and completely in love with their newborn.
“We are delighted to say that we recently welcomed our beautiful baby daughter into the world,” she wrote.
Reflecting on becoming a mother for the first time, she admitted that everything people say about childbirth being an emotional rollercoaster had proved true.
“We’re shattered and smitten and everything in between,” she added.
Nicola has previously spoken candidly about how motherhood changed her outlook, particularly when it came to her campaigning work.
Rather than making her less outspoken, she said becoming a mother had made her even more determined to fight for issues she believes in.
She described herself as becoming more of a “lioness”, explaining that her motivation was no longer simply about standing up for herself.
Instead, she felt an added responsibility to advocate for her daughter, particularly on issues involving misogyny and race.
Life After Coronation Street
Nicola became familiar to millions of soap viewers when she joined Coronation Street as Nicola Rubinstein in 2017.
Her character became involved in several dramatic storylines before Nicola left the cobbles in 2019.
Since then, the actress has increasingly moved into broadcasting, presenting and campaigning.
She has also become a regular presence on programmes including This Morning.
Her television schedule even gave her some unexpected preparation for the sleepless nights that came with becoming a parent.
Before the birth of her first child, Nicola joked that early starts for broadcasting had already trained her for motherhood.
“I have to be in that make-up chair at 4am,” she said, adding that the schedule had been surprisingly useful preparation for looking after a newborn.
Now she and Nikesh are preparing to go through those early days all over again.
The couple have not shared further details about the pregnancy, including the baby’s due date or whether they know the sex.
Their announcement instead focused simply on celebrating the next chapter for their family.
The warm reaction from Nicola’s former Corrie colleagues showed that the friendships formed during her time on the soap have continued years after her departure.
For Sue Cleaver in particular, the news also carries an extra personal connection through her role as godmother to Nicola’s daughter.
With their little girl preparing to become a big sister, Nicola and Nikesh are now looking ahead to life as a family of four.
And judging by the messages that poured in within minutes of their announcement, they already have plenty of friends ready to celebrate alongside them.
