Nick Tilsley (Ben Price)’s relationship with Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) finally came to an end recently in Coronation Street, after Leanne discovered that he’d been having a secret affair with her sister Toyah (Georgia Taylor).
The affair began when Leanne got heavily involved with cult organisation The Institute. As the cult started taking up more and more of Leanne’s attention, Nick realised he was becoming attracted to Toyah and soon the feeling was mutual.
Ben Price said he thought that the attraction between his character and Toyah was a ‘deeper connection’ than purely physical.
‘It wasn’t like he’d been attracted to her for years, it was about being there for her, and then her for him, that’s how the love started,’ he maintained. ‘There’s a lot more to it than just the physical.’
Although Toyah decided to focus on her relationship with her sister in the wake of the affair being exposed, in upcoming episodes Nick finds that there is unfinished business between him and Toyah – and he decides to tell her how he feels.
‘I think the way he sees it is that he’s got one chance,’ Ben told us. ‘He knows if he doesn’t say it now, then he’s always going to think I wish I’d said it. Him and Leanne had a lot of times over the years when they were together, not together. So this time he just decides to go for it.’
Things don’t go exactly to plan, however, and Toyah’s reaction is not what Nick was hoping for. Ben explained that this reaction is more realistic to the story, given the history between Nick, Toyah and Leanne.
‘She doesn’t respond that well, she’s not sure,’ he said.
‘I think Nick knows that she still has feelings for him, but it’s certainly not her running straight back into his arms. This is an adult relationship, it’s not like they’re 18, there is a lot to work out, this is her sister and that’s also still in the mix.’
Nick doesn’t make things easy for himself by offering Toyah the job of front-of-house manager of the bistro after Leanne says she can’t face it. To Toyah he explains that, if they’re going to be a couple, this will mean that Leanne will have to get used to seeing them together so it makes sense to all work together.
‘I don’t think Nick’s that great at that stuff,’ Ben smiled. ‘Toyah points out how awkward it’s going to be but there’s part of him that just thinks it will be good for business, she’s good at the job.’
Ben said that he approached Nick’s feelings for Leanne the same way that he approaches Nick’s position within the Platt family.
‘With his family, on the whole, Nick plays the middle ground between David (Jack P Shepherd) and Gail (Helen Worth), between Sarah (Tina O’Brien) and Audrey (Sue Nicholls). With this I decided when I was playing it, no, he’s done. Leanne did things that couldn’t be taken back, she doesn’t hold back with Nick and now he’s decided I’m just going to say it how it is, I’m going to say how I really feel.’
As to whether Nick and Toyah will work out as a couple long-term, Ben isn’t sure but he’s enjoying playing out the story.
‘I don’t know what the long term plan for Nick and Toyah was initially but it has become something and that’s always the most exciting stuff, when something develops organically. It’s been incredibly good fun to play.’
