Emmerdale Claire King’s life – real name, co-star husband and health battle
Claire King has been portraying Kim Tate in ITV soap Emmerdale since 1989 and there's no denying she's become a soap legend, but what do we know about her away from the cameras?
Claire King boasts an impressive acting career, but the majority of TV viewers will recognise her as Emmerdale’s Kim Tate. The actress joined the cast of the ITV soap back in 1989, with Kim going on to become a soap icon.
Claire, 62, actually first shot to fame as part of the girl pop group To Be Continued, before going on to star in the 1987 film Eat the Rich. She then played Kim in Emmerdale for 10 years, before departing in 1999 to pursue other opportunities. However, Claire returned to the Dales in 2018 and has remained their ever since, with Kim usually being at the centre of the drama.
While the soap helped her find fame, it also helped Claire find love. She developed a romance on set with actor Peter Amory, who played Chris Tate. The couple tied the knot in 1994 and were together for a total of 10 years.
Claire joined the cast of Emmerdale in 1989
However, Peter and Claire’s marriage came to an abrupt end when it was revealed he’d been unfaithful. Peter had an affair with Emmerdale co-star Samantha Giles, who played Bernice Blackstock in the ITV soap. He and Claire separated in 2004.
Claire went on to find love again and is now happily married, but her husband tends to keep out of the spotlight. She is a step-mum to her husband’s two teenage children.
Opening up about kids, Claire previously told OK!: “My ex didn’t want children as he already had one and by the time we split up, I was just on the verge of missing that window. But then I started getting ill and had to have a hysterectomy, so I just accepted it wasn’t meant to be for me. So when my current partner arrived in my life and I gained two teenagers, I was already well prepared. I like to think I was there for them through a few of their growing years.”
Claire with ex-husband Peter Amory (
ITV)
Kim was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis – an autoimmune condition that causes joint pain and stiffness – when she was just 28 years old. She has been open about how the condition has impacted her, admitting it nearly stopped her from working at one point.
She previously said: “I struggled to go to work and do the things I love, like horse-riding, because of the terrible pressure it put on my knees, I can certainly relate to the ‘invisible disease’ – although my symptoms don’t always show, it doesn’t mean I’m not in pain or feeling exhausted.”
