Former Coronation Street star Nicola Thorp has given birth to her first child, a baby girl.
The 34-year-old actress, who played Nicola Rubinstein on the Manchester-based soap, and her fiancé Nikesh Patel announced the news on Instagram on Thursday.
While they shared that they were “delighted” to welcome their daughter, Nicola also emotionally shared that social media is a “difficult place” to be due to the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict.
Nicola shared a heartfelt photo of her daughter and wrote: “We are delighted to announce that we recently welcomed our beautiful baby daughter into the world,” she began on social media.
“Everything they say about birth being an emotional roller coaster is true.” We are shattered and defeated and everything in between.
Former Coronation Street star Nicola Thorp has announced she has given birth to a baby girl
The actress, who played Nicola Rubinstein on the Manchester-based soap, and her fiancé Nikesh Patel announced the news on Instagram on Thursday
“Social media is a difficult place right now. If your timeline is anything like ours, it is filled with images of babies and children dying in conflict or living in fear and unimaginable danger.
“It doesn't feel right to share our news about her without also acknowledging how happy we are that our baby is safe.”
“If you, like us, feel helpless, please consider donating to the United Nations Agency for Sexual and Reproductive Health, which is responding to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and supporting pregnant women, new mothers and their babies.”
“Every child deserves to be born safe.”
Nicola confirmed she was expecting her first child with fiancé Nikesh in a sweet post shared on Instagram in September.
The couple announced their happy news on social media by sharing snaps of Nicola cradling her baby bump along with the words: “Some news.”
Her announcement received endless support from other celebs, with Catherine Tyldesley commenting: “Congratulations!”
Nicola starred in the long-running ITV soap Coronation Street from 2017 to 2019, playing social worker Nicola, who was the estranged daughter of serial killer Pat Phelan and also starred in Celebrity Hunted.
While they shared that they were “delighted” to welcome their daughter, Nicola also emotionally shared that social media is a “difficult place” to be due to the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict
Their baby joy comes a year after the couple announced their engagement.
In January 2023, the equal rights activist shared a picture of herself on Instagram flaunting her green emerald stone ring while getting cozy with Nikesh.
The couple's romance began in October 2021 when Nicola made their relationship public by uploading a snap of the two of them falling in love at the time.
Nikesh is known for his appearances in several television shows including Indian Summers, Starstruck and the miniseries Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Nicola's pregnancy was not without its challenges.
She bravely confronted the man she had lived in fear of for “years” after he threatened to rape and kill her.
She met schizophrenic Ravinderjit Dhillon, 30, with Nikesh at her side, at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London on December 5 – before he was sentenced to 30 months in prison and a restraining order.
It comes just a year after the couple announced their engagement. In January 2023, the equal rights activist shared a picture of herself on Instagram in which she presented her ring
The actress played Nicola Rubinstein in the Manchester-based soap (pictured).
Nicola announced she was dating Hollywood actor Nikesh in October 2021 with a loved-up snap to mark her birthday (pictured at the time)
Nicola is now a Labor Party adviser on stalking and harassment.
The actress also recently revealed that being the mother of a little girl has made her even more determined to advocate for gender equality.
Nicola has been a prominent equal rights campaigner since she hit the headlines in 2016 after she was fired from her job as a receptionist for refusing to wear high heels.
She revealed that pregnancy has made her “softer” and she has become “more of a lioness about things.”
The TalkTV breakfast show host told the Independent: “It's no longer about me fighting for myself, but about me fighting for my daughter – not just on issues of misogyny, but also on issues of race .”
The TalkToday star also revealed that she has been dealing with racism more since her pregnancy, as she revealed that some people believe they shouldn't have a child because they “come from a different ethnic background”.
Nicola stopped co-hosting the morning show with Jeremy Kyle in December 2023 in preparation for the birth.
While the early start may be difficult for some, Nicola revealed that being in the makeup chair at 4am feels “perfect to get her ready for motherhood.”