Nick Berry became a household name in the ’80s and ’90s for his work on EastEnders as Simon Wicks and as PC Nick Rowan in Heartbeat. The former actor, 61, later went on to star as harbour master Mike Nicholls in Harbour Lights and as a police officer in the drama In Deep.
However, Nick quit the limelight to become a stay-at-home dad, aged 39. Nick previously told the Daily Mail in 2011 that he would “never say never” about returning to his acting roots now his kids were older, but at the time was “genuinely happy” as he was.
“I chose to be a stay-at-home dad and have loved it. I always said that when the boys were teenagers I could go back, but the longer you don’t do something the harder it is to do it, and I haven’t really missed it. While I’d never say never, I’m genuinely happy as I am. The job was great. You’re driven everywhere, fed every five minutes and told what to do and where to go.
“What I struggled with was that the boys were very young and I felt like I was away filming all the time. I’d been blessed with these little people and yet I wasn’t really there. I realised I wanted to be at home.”
However, the TV star did return to EastEnders once more in 2012, for a special appearance at Pat Butcher’s funeral. Since then, scores of former actors have returned to the soap as it approaches its 40th anniversary, including Patsy Palmer (Bianca), Michelle Collins (Cindy), Michael French (David) and potentially Ross Kemp (Grant).
Nick looked worlds away from his Heartbeat days when he was snapped taking a walk down his local high street back in 2021, sporting grey hair and a beard. He wore a bright yellow coat, and finished off his look with a pair of aviator sunglasses, as he enjoyed the sunshine.
Nick joined EastEnders in 1985 as Simon Wicks, and appeared in the soap’s first ever episode alongside icons Dirty Den Watts, Lofty and Kathy Beale. His role on the show saw him shoot to heartthrob status and hordes of adoring fans would try to get a glimpse of him at work and off-duty.
The pair have been together since 1989, when Rachel, who was 17 at the time, was working as a Levi’s jeans model. Nick previously told The Mirror about their early romance, saying: “It was love at first sight for me but she thought I was just a dirty old man with a flash car.”
However, all worked out for them and the couple tied the knot in December 1994 in a secret ceremony, before going on to start a family, welcoming two sons, Louis and Finley.
In August 1997, Nick decided to give up acting for good in order to focus on raising their kids and spending time with his wife, who is known for her roles in The Jungle Book and Mack the Knife. “When I joined Heartbeat I wasn’t married and didn’t have kids. Everything has changed since then,” he said.
The former soap star is thought to have amassed the huge sum of £5million during his time in the spotlight. After taking a step back from being in front of the cameras, Nick moved into production and set up his own TV and Film company, Valentine Productions at Pinewood Studios.
According to Companies House Records, he resigned from Valentine Productions in 2019. Before he met Rachel, Nick had a high-profile relationship with his EastEnders co-star Gillian Taylforth, who he dated from 1985 to 1988.
The romance caused some controversy as Gillian played his on-screen step-mum, Kathy Beale, in the show and was eight years older than him.
