Who Is Nicola Thorp? A Look at Her Acting Career and Advocacy

Nicola Sian Thorp was born on 30 September 1988 in Blackpool, Lancashire, a seaside town famous for its illuminations and traditional stick of rock candy. Her family runs a Blackpool rock factory that was founded by her grandfather in 1962, giving her a genuine connection to the town’s heritage and working-class roots. She attended Arnold School, where she served as deputy head girl, demonstrating early leadership qualities that would later serve her well in public campaigning.

In 2007, at the age of 18, Thorp moved to London to pursue her passion for acting. She enrolled at the Arts Educational School (ArtsEd), one of the UK’s most respected performing arts institutions, and completed her training in 2010. This formal education provided her with the technical skills and professional foundation needed to enter the competitive world of British television and theatre.

Before becoming a household name, Nicola Thorp built her acting credentials through a series of guest appearances on well-known British television programmes. In 2013, she appeared in Doctor Who as Ellie Oswald in the episode “The Rings of Akhaten,” credited as Nicola Sian. That same year, she featured in the ITV three-part serial The Guilty as Miss Bremner.

Her early credits also included roles in Father Brown (2016) as Scarlett Finch and Doctors (2016) as Jessica Nielson. These appearances, whilst relatively small, demonstrated her range and helped her establish a presence in the industry. She also appeared in the 2014 short film Her Message and the documentary series MUNCHIES Guide to the North of England.

The role that truly brought Nicola Thorp into the public eye was her casting as Nicola Rubinstein in Coronation Street. She joined the iconic ITV soap opera on 12 June 2017, playing the long-lost daughter of one of the show’s most notorious villains, Pat Phelan (played by Connor McIntyre).

Her character’s storyline was complex and emotionally charged. Nicola Rubinstein was introduced as a social worker who became entangled in her father’s dark world. She gave birth to a son, Zack, following a one-night stand with Gary Windass, and later played a crucial role in exposing Phelan’s crimes. Thorp’s performance earned her a nomination for Best Newcomer at the 2018 British Soap Awards and a third-place finish in the Digital Spy Reader Awards for Best Soap Newcomer in 2017.

Thorp’s initial run on the cobbles concluded on 13 June 2018, but she made a brief return from 21 January to 1 February 2019 to tie up remaining storyline threads. In total, she appeared in 97 episodes, leaving a lasting impression on the show’s fans and cementing her status as a talented actress capable of handling demanding dramatic material.

After leaving Coronation Street, Thorp gradually shifted her focus from acting to broadcasting and journalism. In 2018, she began writing a regular column for Metro.co.uk, with her first piece addressing period poverty. She also became a regular contributor to This Morning on ITV from 2019 onwards, offering her perspectives on current affairs and social issues.

In 2022, she joined the launch of TalkTV, initially appearing as a panellist on The Talk before being promoted to co-host the breakfast show Talk Today alongside Jeremy Kyle in early 2024. This role placed her at the centre of daily live television, debating politics, culture, and equality issues with authority and conviction. Her tenure at TalkTV ended when the channel moved to online-only streaming in May 2024, but she has continued her work in podcasting and freelance media.

In May 2016, Nicola Thorp was working as a temporary receptionist at a London office of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) through the outsourcing firm Portico. On her first day, she arrived wearing a smart suit and flat black shoes, only to be told by a supervisor that company policy required women to wear heels between 2 and 4 inches in height. When she refused, citing the impracticality and discomfort of wearing heels for a nine-hour shift, she was sent home without pay.

The experience left Thorp feeling humiliated and frustrated. She had encountered similar expectations in previous roles, but this time she decided she had had enough. Rather than simply accepting the situation, she chose to take action.

On 10 May 2016, Thorp launched an e-petition on the UK Parliament website titled “Make it illegal for companies to require women to wear high heels at work.” She argued that forcing women to wear uncomfortable and potentially harmful footwear was discriminatory, sexist, and had no bearing on their ability to perform their jobs. The petition struck a chord with thousands of people and gathered over 150,000 signatures in a matter of days, far exceeding the 100,000 threshold required to trigger a parliamentary debate.

The Petitions Committee and the Women and Equalities Committee launched a joint inquiry into workplace dress codes. In January 2017, they published a report revealing that discriminatory dress codes were widespread across UK workplaces. The investigation uncovered shocking practices, including employers requiring women to wear shorter skirts, unbutton blouses, and even dictating nail varnish shades and hair root colours.

The committees called on the government to review the law and increase financial penalties for employers found to be in breach. However, in April 2017, the government rejected calls for new legislation, arguing that the existing Equality Act 2010 was sufficient, though it did commit to issuing clearer guidance for employers.

Thorp was critical of this response, noting that the current system placed the burden on individual employees to challenge discrimination through employment tribunals, a process that many found intimidating and costly.

Whilst the government did not introduce new laws specifically banning mandatory high heels, Thorp’s campaign had a profound cultural impact. It forced a national conversation about sexism in the workplace and prompted many employers to review and update their dress code policies. The outsourcing firm Portico changed its policy following the incident, and numerous companies voluntarily revised their guidelines to be more inclusive and practical.

The campaign also highlighted broader issues of workplace discrimination, including cases where black women were told their natural hair was “unprofessional” and were ordered to chemically straighten it, or where women were required to wear “flesh-toned” tights that did not match their actual skin colour. Thorp’s petition became a rallying point for anyone who had experienced unfair treatment based on appearance.

Nicola Thorp‘s activism did not stop with workplace dress codes. In 2018, she became the victim of a terrifying two-year stalking campaign by Ravinderjit Dhillon, who used 25 different online aliases to send threatening messages, including rape threats and references to himself as “the grim reaper.” For months, the police refused to reveal the stalker’s identity to Thorp, leaving her living in fear and unable to distinguish him from strangers in everyday situations.

The experience deeply affected her and inspired a new campaign. She called for a legal change that would give stalking victims the right to know the identity of their alleged stalker before encountering them in court. In December 2024, the UK government announced a new “right to know” protocol, dubbed “Nicola’s Law,” which mandates that police disclose the identity of online stalkers to victims. This reform was developed in collaboration with safeguarding minister Jess Phillips and represents a significant step forward in protecting victims of harassment.

Thorp has also worked as an advisor to the Labour Party on stalking and harassment issues, using her personal experience to inform policy recommendations and advocate for stronger legal protections.

Thorp has consistently used her platform to speak out on a wide range of equality issues. She has written extensively about mental health, having been open about her own experiences with depression and a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. She believes that speaking publicly about mental health challenges helps reduce stigma and encourages others to seek support.

In her columns and television appearances, she has addressed topics including misogyny, racism, and the pressures women face regarding their appearance and behaviour. She has called for misogyny to be criminalised and has critiqued the entertainment industry’s treatment of women, including red carpet culture that reduces female actors to their physical appearance.

Thorp’s transition from actress to broadcaster has been marked by the same authenticity and conviction that defined her activism. As a columnist for Metro.co.uk, she tackled subjects that mainstream media often shied away from, including period poverty, women’s safety, and the everyday sexism that persists in modern Britain.

Her television work has included regular appearances on This Morning, Good Morning Britain, Jeremy Vine, and BBC News. She has proven herself to be a skilled debater, capable of holding her own on live television whilst remaining accessible and relatable to viewers.

In 2023, she and her partner, actor Nikesh Patel, appeared on Celebrity Hunted, a Channel 4 reality series where celebrities attempt to evade capture by expert trackers. The couple’s appearance showcased their chemistry and Thorp’s willingness to step outside her comfort zone.

She has also ventured into podcasting, most notably with Charlene: Somebody Knows Something, a series investigating the disappearance of 14-year-old Charlene Downes from Blackpool in 2003. Thorp, who was the same age as Charlene when she went missing, returned to her hometown 22 years later to uncover the truth about the case, demonstrating her commitment to giving a voice to those who have been silenced.

Nicola Thorp married actor Nikesh Patel in the summer of 2024, after being together since 2021. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, in January 2024. Thorp has spoken about how becoming a mother has intensified her commitment to fighting for equality, stating that she has become “more of a lioness” in her advocacy.

For a time, she lived on a canal boat, moving it to different locations along the waterways, which reflected her unconventional and independent spirit. She has also been open about the challenges of navigating public life as a woman, including the stalking ordeal that left her feeling vulnerable and exposed.

Thorp’s values are rooted in fairness, transparency, and the belief that individuals have the power to effect change. She has consistently demonstrated that you do not need to be a politician or a CEO to make a difference; sometimes, all it takes is the courage to say “no” to something that is wrong.

Nicola Thorp’s journey from a temporary receptionist to a national figure is a powerful reminder of the impact one person can have. Her story resonates because it is relatable. Millions of people have experienced unfair treatment at work, felt powerless in the face of discrimination, or wondered whether speaking out is worth the risk.

Thorp proved that it is. Her high heels petition did not just challenge a single company’s policy; it exposed systemic flaws in how UK employment law protects workers from discrimination. Her stalking campaign did not just address her own trauma; it led to legislative changes that will protect countless others.

She represents a new generation of public figures who use their platforms not for self-promotion, but for genuine social good. In an era where celebrity activism is often criticised as performative, Thorp’s work stands out because it is grounded in lived experience and sustained commitment.

Nicola Thorp is a multifaceted figure whose contributions to British public life extend far beyond her acting credits. From her early days in Blackpool to her training at ArtsEd, her memorable stint on Coronation Street, and her courageous campaigns for workplace equality and stalking victims’ rights, she has consistently demonstrated resilience, intelligence, and a deep commitment to justice.

Her story is one of transformation. An actress who became an activist. A victim who became a campaigner. A voice that started as a whisper of dissent and grew into a call for national change. Whether you know her from the cobbles of Weatherfield, the pages of Metro, or the headlines of her parliamentary petition, one thing is clear: Nicola Thorp is a force for good in British society, and her influence will be felt for years to come.