Nicola Thorp: Blackpool star discusses her new TalkTV show with Jeremy Kyle and her favourite things about her hometown

The 35-year-old self proclaimed “Sandgrown’un” has had an eventful week, announcing she is pregnant with her first child just days before the launch of her brand new TV show.

Nicola’s fiancé Nikesh Patel took to Instagram on Friday (September 30) to share pictures of Nicola cradling a baby bump with the simple caption “Some news.”

The exciting personal news came just three days before Nicola reached another personal milestone as a new programme called ‘Talk Today’ was launched on Monday (October 1), marking her first time hosting her own show.

Cohosted by Jeremy Kyle and broadcasted on TalkTV every weekday, Nicola described Talk Today as a “breakfast show that covers the front-page news with a sense of humour and relatability.”

The Blackpool Gazette got a chance to catch up with the former Coronation Street actress ahead of TalkToday’s launch so find out what she had to say below.

How do you feel about having your first show?

Nicola said: “Very surreal, I’m still pinching myself to be honest. My first job at NewsUK was 8 years ago when I was a stylist’s assistant, working in the very same studio that we now host Talk Today from.”

As a broadcaster, Nicola has been a regular on Sharon Osbourne's TalkTV show ‘The Talk’ and ITV’s This Morning, but she started off as an actress, playing Nicola Rubinstein in Corrie between 2017 – 2018 and again briefly in 2019.

Why did you move into broadcasting?

Nicola, who has also appeared on Celebrity Hunted, answered: “It was never really a conscious choice until years had passed and I realised that it had happened by accident. It all started with my high heels campaign* and suddenly broadcasting became my job. I love it so much I wish I had made the move sooner. As much as I enjoyed playing different characters for a living, I much prefer being myself, being inquisitive and speaking my mind.”

*In 2016, Nicola went public about being sacked as a temp receptionist at PricewaterhouseCoopers after refusing to wear high heels, and her online petition demanding to outlaw mandatory high heels at work was signed by nearly 110,000 people in less than 48 hours. Nicola went on make television appearances, write news articles and appear in front of a Parliamentary select committee to discuss the issue.

How did the pairing with Jeremy Kyle happen?

She said: “Jeremy and I worked together last year on The Talk and we quickly learnt that although we had wildly different opinions, we always heard each other out.”

Speaking of opinions, the show is described as offering a ‘dynamic mix of views’ so when asked if she will be vocal with her opinions, Nicola replied: “I wouldn’t be in the job if I wasn’t vocal!”

Are there certain topics you want to cover?

Nicola, who hails from North Shore but now lives in London, replied: “Absolutely – more regional stories that matter to the people of Blackpool, and definitely the cost of living crisis and how it is affecting people outside the London bubble.”

Why should the people of Blackpool tune in?

The presenter said: “We have a very interactive show and encourage viewers and listeners to get in touch about every topic we discuss in the show so we really want people to bring a local perspective to the issues we discuss. The opening credits have a shot of Blackpool tower too! If there’s a story affecting Blackpool, we’ll send our roving reporter to cover it.”

You can see a longer mesage from Nicola to the peope of Blackpool in the video above.

Do you still have roots in Blackpool?

Nicola confirmed that her mum, dad and brother still run the family business based in Blackpool – Stanton’s Rock Factory which was founded in the 1962.

The former Arnold School pupil added that she visits Blackpool “every couple of months at least!”

What is your favourite thing to do/see when you visit Blackpool?

Nicola said: “Funny Girls, Bloom Bar North Pier, the Beach House, tea at the Tower Ballroom, Notriannis and Pleasure Beach. Perfect weekend.”

Are your friends with any other local celebrites?

Nicola was three school years below actress Jenna Coleman at Arnold School so we had to ask if they were ever friends.

Nicola replied: “Yes I absolutely knew Jenna when we were at school. We did loads of plays together with the theatre company at Arnold. I got my first lead role after Jenna got her part in Emmerdale and I took over her part in the school play. Years later I ended up playing her mum in Dr Who too. I’m so proud of her success!”

Watch Talk Today, Monday to Friday from 6am - 9:30am, on Freeview 237, Sky 522 and Virgin Media 606.