Kyle (Adam Rickitt)

Former Coronation Street star Adam Rickitt is making an exciting return to the soap world with a brand new role in Hollyoaks, Digital Spy can exclusively reveal.

The actor is best known for playing the second incarnation of Corrie's Nick Tilsley, but he now looks set to cause fireworks in Chester as part of a new storyline for Nancy and Darren Osborne.

Adam is playing guest character Kyle, an ex-boyfriend of Nancy who bumps into her at a support meeting next month.

Like Nancy, Kyle is living with MS – and old feelings between the pair will come back to the surface as they reminisce over the past.
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Adam Rickitt as Kyle in Hollyoaks
© LIME PICTURES
Afterwards, the big question for Hollyoaks fans will be whether Kyle's arrival could cause trouble for Nancy and Darren's popular relationship.

Of course, this is the fast-paced world of Hollyoaks, so viewers should brace themselves for other surprises – with show insiders hinting that Kyle may have other connections in the village too. With some major twists and turns in store, Hollyoaks fans will just have to watch this space.

Speaking about his new job, Adam revealed: "I am really happy to be joining Hollyoaks. I've had a lot of friends work on the show throughout the years and they've all told me what an amazing place it is to work, so it's really good to be a part of such a welcoming crowd.

"The key interest for me was in the storylines lined up for Kyle. I think they are amazing, taking the character on a real journey and something I am really enjoying playing a part in.


"Fingers crossed the audience like the surprises as they keep coming."


Adam played Corrie's Nick Tilsley – who's now portrayed by Ben Price – on and off between 1997 and 2004.

He's also had even more soap experience since then, playing Kieran Mitchell on New Zealand's Shortland Street between 2007 and 2010.

Away from Soapland, Adam is also known for his singing career, including the release of his debut single 'I Breathe Again' in 1999 and appearing on ITV2's The Big Reunion in 2014.

Adam has become a permanent cast member

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his night with ryan has to come out

Hollyoaks fans will be kept guessing over where Kyle Kelly's true loyalties lie next week, as he continues to secretly plot against James Nightingale on behalf of Sami Maalik.

Kyle has been playing James for a fool over the past few weeks as part of a dark revenge plan, but the big question is whether he could change sides as he continues to develop genuine feelings for the troubled lawyer.

Digital Spy recently caught up with Adam Rickitt, who plays Kyle, to hear his thoughts on the ongoing storyline, Kyle's future and – of course – his memories of his earliest soap role as Nick Tilsley in Coronation Street.

How do you feel about being upgraded from a guest to a regular Hollyoaks cast member?

"It's a weird one, because all I was ever meant to do on Hollyoaks was six episodes back in January 2017. That's all I ever had any intention to do, but when I got there, I just enjoyed it so much. The people are phenomenal. I know people always say this, but it's the nicest and most fun environment I've ever worked in.

"The main thing for me is Kyle as a character. I just think he's absolutely hilarious. I love him to bits. As soon as I started playing him, I suddenly thought: 'I don't want this to end after six episodes.'

"Last year I worked on the show from January through to November, but it was really sporadic and then I was offered some other things. So I went to Hollyoaks and said: 'Guys, look, I know you haven't got any intentions for Kyle any more, but I just want to check in with you, because otherwise I've been offered these other dramas.'

"It was then that they told me they wanted me to be a full-time cast member. It made me so happy, because I feel like Kyle deserves it as a character."

Do you think there's lots more to explore with him?

"Even now, we're only just starting to scratch the surface. Within a very quick time, Kyle has become embedded with a lot of other characters in the show – whether it's Darren, James or Sami. But there's other ones as well, like Ste and Harry. There's a lot of story to come there as well.

"I've just signed on again for another contract, so I'm there for a while yet. As an actor, all you can ever hope for is to be playing a part that you actually look forward to doing. That's definitely the case with Kyle – I think he's just brilliant."

Have you had a warm reaction from the Hollyoaks fans?

"Yeah. I'll be honest with you, that's why I'm still here. I have the utmost respect for the production team at Hollyoaks. More than anything I've ever worked on, they listen to the audience. If the audience like a character and respond to them, that's when they start making more plans for them."

Kyle's scheming against James is stepping up a gear next week, but is he starting to have mixed feelings?

"As time has gone by, Kyle has started to develop real feelings for James. He's actually starting to really doubt whether he should be helping Sami. But then you'll see over the next couple of weeks that it hits a bit of a bump in the road, because James does something to make Kyle realise that actually James doesn't have feelings for him and never will do.

"So next week you'll see Kyle's slightly vicious side start to come out. But again, things then happen to make Kyle realise that, with James, it might all be a bit of a front. You'll have to wait and see. The great thing is that this journey of them falling in love together is only just starting to kick off now."

Hollyoaks really like dark and complex relationships like this. Would you like to carry on working with Gregory Finnegan (James) to develop that more?

"Absolutely. Working with Greg is great, because you get to see so many different sides to both of our characters. I genuinely think there's nobody else in the show who could actually be James's other half. Kyle has got that intelligence capacity to actually challenge James.

"They are very flawed characters, both of them. I do think there's lots of darkness along the way. But I think the great thing to underline that relationship is a blossoming love. That's what would make it really interesting – trying to see them get to that 'couple goals' status."

Would you like the writers to delve into Kyle's past?

"Yeah, there's lots of backstory. There's the fact that you don't know what his parental situation is. There was a scene where Kyle was mourning the fact that he's not close to his parents. I'd be really interested to see if that could develop some more. Also, does Kyle have brothers or sisters?

"I think we could explore Kyle's MS more and I also think the backstory with Nancy could be explored a lot more. They were each other's first love. Everybody's sexuality is on the spectrum, from gay to straight, but it's a very fluid thing.

"If Kyle's soul mate turned out to be Nancy, then would that cause Kyle more conflict with Darren and the Osbornes? Or is it James, but he still wants to support Nancy because she's such a part of his life?"

How does working on Hollyoaks compare to Coronation Street?

"Hand on heart, I prefer Hollyoaks. When I joined Corrie, I was 18 years old. I'd never acted a day in my life. Back then, there were only four channels on TV and you were very much thrust into people's lives. Which is great, because they took you on. I was really lucky in that respect, but it was almost like living under a microscope.

"Also, because I was so young and so green, half the time I didn't know what I was doing. Coronation Street was my drama school. If you go to any kid at drama school, more often than not, they're a bit lost.


"Now 20 years on, I'm still learning as I go, but I like to think I know what I'm doing on set. So I've got that confidence to actually explore characters more, which is what I'm getting a chance to do with Kyle.

"I also love how the production staff are so open to discussing things with you on Hollyoaks. I've had ideas for Kyle over the last year, which I've suggested to the team upstairs. They may come to fruition at some point, I don't know. The whole thing just feels a lot more cooperative at Hollyoaks."

We know this is your third soap role, as you've previously done Shortland Street in New Zealand too. Do you prefer an ongoing, long-running role?

"I love soaps as a medium. I know people knock it. But the people who knock it are, quite frankly, just wrong and ignorant. They don't realise how much more professional and hard-working you have to be to operate on a soap than you do on a drama or film.

"Because soaps have to be so fast, every day you have to be bang on. You have to know your lines. You have to know what you're going to do in each scene. So there is an immediacy and an adrenaline rush that comes with soaps.

"That's not to say I won't do other TV dramas in the future. To me, it all depends on the character."

How did you feel about Corrie's Nick Tilsley being recast in 2009? Is it weird when your role gets taken over by someone else?

"I was doing Shortland Street in New Zealand when Granada came to me and said: 'We'd like for you to come back and play Nick.' I said to them: 'I can't, because I've made a commitment to Shortland Street. I'm having so much fun exploring that.' So they did say to me: 'If you don't come back, we will recast it.'

"I was absolutely fine with that. I was happy. Ben Price has far more ownership of that character than I ever did. He's done it for eight years now. I only ever did it for 18 months.

"It was a bit weird when I saw Ben's very first appearance on screen as Nick eight years ago. That was a bit bizarre, because I'd come home for Christmas and I saw it on TV. But in terms of anything else, it's his role. It's not mine. I was just lucky enough to be given the opportunity when I was 18, and I used Coronation Street as my drama school."

You've stayed busy in the industry for 21 years, while many others who were working when you first started have fallen by the wayside. What do you put that down to?

"To be honest, I'm always trying to find roles that excite me. You just have to be completely true to yourself. You can't ever maintain celebrity fame, and I've never tried. I've never fought to be a celebrity. I've always tried to do roles that I find really interesting.

"I'm just really lucky that in 21 years, I have worked constantly. I hope that's because people see me on TV and like what I'm doing. All you can actually hope to do is to enjoy what you're doing each day. That's all I've ever tried to do, because I don't care if I'm doing a movie in the States or if I'm doing a play in Stockton-on-Tees. It doesn't bother me. It's what I'm doing that day that I find interesting and that makes me feel challenged.

"So it's that – and taking my top off loads! (Laughs.)"

Digital Spy

why does he need money so badly, what's his secret?

he kills himself

Hollyoaks has confirmed a male suicide storyline, with Kyle Kelly leaving the soap.

Both Darren Osborne and Kyle have been struggling with mid-life depression, but Kyle will tragically die by suicide in upcoming episodes leading up to his wedding with Nancy Hayton.

Kyle's death will not be shown on screen, but viewers will see the aftermath as his friends and family try to deal with the news of his suicide.

Hollyoaks is working with James' Place on the storyline. Based in Liverpool, James' Place provides support for male mental health.

Adam Rickitt, who plays Kyle, said: "When I first heard about the storyline, I was excited as an actor to be able to portray such a dramatic journey, and [proud] that the team had entrusted me to do it. There was also a sense of personal fear.

"Like all too many, I had to walk a similar path in my lifetime and the idea of revisiting that, even in the world of fiction, was slightly daunting.

"In truth, though, it became an incredibly empowering experience. The sensitivity and heart that the writers put into the story really shone through, and at a time like now, more than ever, I think we need to be highlighting just this sort of issue.

"As sad as I am to say goodbye to Kyle, I have loved being a part of Hollyoaks. It's been a fantastic show to work on. To be able to leave telling a story that is so important and so challenging is more than I could ever have asked for, and like me, I hope viewers will find strength in its telling."

Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood said: "Hollyoaks' writing team have been laying the building blocks of Darren and Kyle's individual stories for some time, carefully exploring the nuances that comes from two men living with depression in two very different ways.

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