If someone wolf-whistles me I say keep it coming, says Emmerdale’s Claire King as she opens up on chronic illness battle
IN her role as man-eating temptress Kim Tate, Claire King has seduced her way through the Yorkshire Dales.
Yet despite winning a new generation of admirers, the veteran Emmerdale star admits that those raunchy sex scenes are now well behind her.
Claire, 61, told The Sun on Sunday: “If someone whistles at me from a scaffold I’ll just stand there, whistle back and tell them to keep it coming!
“I’m more of a Gilf than a Milf.
“And it’s the younger fans who didn’t really remember Kim from the first time around that absolutely love her.
“It’s also good for them, especially in this age of social media, to see a woman who stands up for herself, is independent and doesn’t take any BS.
“I think that’s why they love her so much.”
While still being Emmerdale’s resident sexpot, Claire knows her saucy scenes are not everyone’s cup of tea.
She said: “I have seen comments, and they don’t really like anyone over 50 doing it on their TV screens.”
Since her dramatic return to the Dales in 2018, after nearly 20 years away, the village super-bitch has been involved in some of the show’s biggest storylines.
But she admits that being a soap regular in your sixties is a bit different to when she first joined the cast in 1989.
She explained: “The past five years have gone so quickly but sometimes it doesn’t feel like that.
“Back in the day we were doing two episodes a week or three a week, but now, with six a week, it’s full-on.”
‘I’m just happy that I’m still here’
As a scheming villain with a past that involves prison time, murder plots, blackmail and illicit affairs, Kim’s dialogue can be long and complicated, and Claire found that sometimes it can be a bit of a mission to learn her lines.
She explained: “You get to a certain age and rheumatoid arthritis can fog your brain.
“The menopause did that anyway, and then on top of that you’ve got your old age, and you think, ‘I’m in the wrong job for remembering!’
“I do spend a lot of time in the bath with a sherry learning my lines.”
On the topic of arthritis, Claire claims that due to the painful condition, Kim’s towering stilettos have gone the way of her steamy scenes.
“I just can’t wear high heels,” she admitted. “I’ve had arthritis for 35 years, I’ve got metal in my hands.
“Last year I had metal pins put in.
“Everything’s falling to bits! I’ve just been sporty and horsey all my life and you accumulate injuries.
“Kim is so glamorous and you would think she’d be in high stilettos, but if you look it’s always boots.
“You might hear the ‘clip clop’ but she’s in boots. I would love to wear heels but they just hurt.
“I can wear them for about half an hour but I always take my flip-flops into the studio.”
In October 2022 Claire was at the centre of the soap’s big 50th anniversary episodes as Kim’s lavish wedding to lovable rogue Will Taylor, played by actor Dean Andrews, took a horrific turn when a freak storm ripped through the village.
It has been an eventful first year of marriage but Claire said: “Kim and Will are solid. They are tight.
“He gets her, he gets annoyed with her and her ways, but knows her and takes all that on board.
“She loves him. They have banter but they really do love each other.
“He’s got her back as well and she’s got his. I get on really well with Dean. He’s so great to work with.
“We’ll see a kissing scene in the scripts and we’re both like, ‘Can we eat garlic? Yeah we’re all right — we’ll just have a little peck’.”
And Claire, who also played prison governor Karen Betts in ITV drama Bad Girls, is proud to be representing older women on television.
She said: “We’ve got a wealth of experience, and having older women on our TV screens is really important.
“Most of the soaps, particularly Emmerdale and Corrie, are very good for having these strong women characters.”
Claire has certainly proved her strength by not shying away from a challenge.
The actress signed up for plenty of them back in the day — taking part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2006 and finishing sixth, 2007’s Safari School, where she came third, and Celebrity Big Brother in 2014, which she had to leave early because of illness.
Despite a few aches and pains, Claire insisted that she will not be held back by her age.
She said: “People say, ‘How does it feel when you turn 60?’ I was just happy that I’m still here!
‘I do entrances and exits very well’
“I’ve lost so many friends a lot younger than me. Every day you wake up, I feel blessed that I’m still here.”
Looking back on her big return to Emmerdale in November 2018, Claire admits she was not sure if her sassy character would be embraced.
But now, five years on, she said: “I was on for six months when I first came in.
“I had to have a break because I had already committed to pantomime that Christmas, so they put me away for a few months in prison and then got me out again.
“It was kind of, ‘Let’s see what happens over the next six months’.
“The majority of people said, ‘Yeah, what a great idea, bring Kim Tate back!’ but there were still a few people who were like, ‘Do we really want to go back?’ And I totally get that.
“Can she still do it? Is it going to be the same? People won’t remember — it’s a different generation.
“She’s still that kind of camp, over-the-top character — I always say I do entrances and exits very well.”
And despite being embraced by the younger generation of the Emmerdale audience, she has found that older viewers can find Kim’s no-nonsense attitude a turn-off.
Claire said: “It’s the older women that don’t like her!
“It’s really weird, I think they must be jealous that she’s got this really nice house, smart clothes and lots of horses.
“But it’s not real. The younger generation just love what she gets away with saying things.”
Over the past few months Claire has been involved in the story of Lydia Dingle’s harrowing rape by her evil ex Craig Reed.
Lydia, played by Karen Blick, then confided in Kim.
So when Kim’s horse kicked the sex attacker in the head, she was quite happy to leave the villain to die from his injuries.
The full story is set to come out in dramatic and emotional scenes this week.
And Emmerdale bosses have made sure not to skip out on handing Claire her fair share of big Christmas plotlines, either.
The soap star — who lives with her long-term partner, whose identity she keeps private, and splits time between living in North Yorkshire and Spain — juggles a jam-packed schedule to fit in all the drama.
She said: “My character has got so many fingers in a lot of pies and is involved in so many other people’s storylines.
“I don’t get a lot of time off but I do try to have a break in spring, summer, autumn and Christmas.
“I was born and bred in North Yorkshire and I love it. I could not be happier.”
- Emmerdale is on weeknights on ITV1 at 7.30pm.
