Who is Nikki Sanderson, who did she play on Hollyoaks and who is she dating?

18 April 2020, 15:18

Nikki Sanderson is a contestant on SAS: Who Dares Wins
Nikki Sanderson is a contestant on SAS: Who Dares Wins. Picture: Getty

Nikki Sanderson has joined Channel 4's hit show Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, starring former solider Ant Middleton.

Best known for her roles on a number of soaps, Nikki will be a familiar face for many tuning in to watch the new crew of celebrities attempting to survive SAS training. Here's everything you need to know about Nikki.

Read more: Coronation Street dog Eccles dies after 14 yeras in devastating storyline

Nikki Sanderson played Dawn Bellamy on Heartbeat among other soap roles.
Nikki Sanderson played Bellamy. Picture: Getty

Who is Nikki Sanderson?

The 36-year-old actress is from Blackpool and joined Coronation Street in 1999 as Candice Stowe. When she left the show in 2005 she appeared in various episodes of Holby City and New Street Law before joining the cast of ITV1's Heartbeat in 2008 as Dawn Bellamy.

Read more: Holby City's Camilla Arfwedson secretly marries Call The Midwife star Jack Hawkins

Nikki, 36, has been on several soaps prior to joining Hollyoaks in 2012.
Nikki, 36, has been on several soaps prior to joining Hollyoaks in 2012. Picture: Getty

Who did she play on Hollyoaks?

In 2012 Nikki joined the cast of Channel 4's Hollyoaks as Maxine Minniver. The confident, savvy and impulsive sister of Mitzeee Minniver first appeared in an episode airing in a November 2012.

Now a mum of daughter Minnie, who has Down syndrome, she has been through custody fights as well as several serious storylines centring on domestic abuse, imprisonment and being held hostage.

Read more: Viewers devastated as Jesse dies on his wedding day in shock scenes

Jamie Lomas’ Biggest Hollyoaks Moments

Who is she dating?

While Maxine Minniver may have had several husbands, the Hollyoaks star has said she'd do things differently from her character.

Currently Nikki is dating Greg Whitehurst, her boyfriend since 2015.

The couple has drawn criticism in the past because Greg has been married at the time they started dating. At the time Nikki released a statement explaining "I have known Greg and his family for many years. Greg's marriage ended in January, it was a very difficult time for him during which all of his friends and family supported him."

She told OK! Magazine: "The papers made out that I was the third party who split them up, but in reality there was a third party who split them up on the other side."

Read more: Dancing on Ice pro Alex Demetriou's marriage 'collapses' after 'growing close' to Maura Higgins