Andy Whyment became one of the latest celebrities to return to the I'm A Celebrity jungle yesterday (April 26) when he arrived in South Africa alongside Georgia Toffolo and Myleene Klass. His original stint in the Australian camp came in 2019 when he finished second behind EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa.
Before his time in the I'm A Celeb jungle, Andy made his name as an actor playing Kirk Sutherland in Coronation Street since 2000. Along with this role, Andy has also appeared in The Royle Family, Heartbeat and Cracker, reports The Mirror.
During his time on the famous cobbles, 'Kirky' has been in a rocky relationship with Fiz, but eventually found love with Beth Tinker, with the couple ended up tying the knot. However, this marriage nearly ended recently on-screen after Kirk believed she had cheated on him with her ex-boyfriend Marco.
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Off-screen, Andy's real life with his wife Nichola and their two children is far more settled than what his soap opera character goes through.
Who is Andy Whyment’s wife Nichola?
Andy and Nichola are believed to have been friends for some time before to being together. They first met in Manchester in 2004. For Andy, it may have been love at first sight, but not for Nichola.
In an interview with OK! magazine, Andy revealed: "I fancied Nic for some time, but nothing happened.
"Then we copped off one night and it wasn’t too long before I realised she was the one I wanted to be with. I said in my wedding speech you just know when you meet ‘The One’ and that’s true."
Gushing about his "gorgeous" wife, who he married in 2007, Andy admitted he has been "punching above my weight for years". He also claimed him and Nichola "never argue" and "get on so well".
However, Nichola claimed that when she first met Andy, she thought he was "a bit of an idiot" and it took her "a good few months" to fall in love.
She added: "He was single and sharing a place with Al (Alan Halsall who plays Tyrone Dobbs in Coronation Street). He was just giving it big time and not doing what I wanted him to do."
Does Andy Whyment have kids?
Andy and Nichola have two children together – Thomas, 14, and Hollie, 12. The family is believed to reside in Cheshire, as the famous performer has recently posted pictures of their house on Instagram.
He was observed crying in the Bush Telegraph when he first went on I'm A Celeb because he missed his children. The family frequently goes out together and has just returned from vacations in Turkey, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic.
The actor underwent a vasectomy, therefore he won't be expanding his family.
He said: "There’s no chance of having any more kids as I had the snip a few years ago. We said we wanted two kids and we’ve been really fortunate to have a boy and a girl."
Famous best pals
Andy was friends with Corrie actor Alan Halsall before he began working there 23 years ago. Before Andy met wife Nichola, the two even shared a flat for a period.
Andy posted a photo of him and Alan on Instagram along with the caption: "Today @alanhalsall turns 40. We’ve known each other for 30 years.
"I feel so lucky I can call you my best mate, my brother. Happy 40th birthday.
"Have the best day. Love you bro.”
Additionally, Andy frequently posts photos on social media with his Corrie co-stars and runs into other well-known people while abroad. The actor showed in one photo that he had crossed paths with former Emmerdale actor Danny Miller, who played Aaron Livesy, in Turkey.
He joked: “When you’re on holiday and @danny_b_miller is in the same hotel. Kirk and Aaron on tour!”
Corrie name change
As soon as Andy's character Kirk joined the cast of Corrie on a regular basis, observant viewers saw that he had previously gone by a different name. The character played by Andy first appeared to be named Mark, but eventually adopted the name Kirk.
One fan took to to say: "Watching the old Corrie’s and I’m confused. Maria told Tyrone her brother was called Mark. Thought Kirk was her brother?"
After some investigative work, another wrote: "For some reason bosses changed his name from Mark to Kirk, only in soapland."
According to Corriepedia, "Mark" Sutherland was a one-off before the hit show's bosses decided to make Kirk a permanent character.
Since then, he has grown to be a major fan favourite at Weatherfield and he recently agreed to a £125,000 contract that will keep him playing there for another year.
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