EastEnders news: Remember Nicky di Marco? This is what actress Carly Hillman is up to now
EASTENDERS character Nicky di Marco was best known for being the youngest of the di Marco clan who endured a harrowing sexual abuse storyline in her time on the BBC One soap. But what is actress Carly Hillman up to now?
Major blunder on EastEnders as day instantly turns to night
Carly’s character Nicky first appeared on BBC’s EastEnders in 1998, when she arrived in Walford with the rest of the di Marco family.
Joining Albert Square with her family of eight, the di Marcos owned the local Italian restaurant "Giuseppe’s".
The family included Gianni (played by Marc Bannerman) and Beppe di Marco (Michael Greco), who had several run-ins with the Mitchell brothers throughout the nineties.
Nicky became good friends with Sonia Jackson (Natalie Cassidy) in the soap, and was later involved in a dramatic storyline where she fell for her tutor Rod Morris (Forbes Masson).
EastEnders: Nicky di Marco first appeared on the soap in 1998
However the latter turned sour, as Nicky claimed Rod had sexually assaulted her.
This lead to Nicky’s protective brother Gianni assaulting Rod, who later pressed charges on the attack.
Despite being supremely popular in their short stint on the BBC soap, all of the family but Beppe and his son Joe (Jake Kyprianou) left the soap in 2000.
Since Carly’s leave, she has gone on to build an incredible singing career.
EastEnders: Beppe and Gianni had their run-ins with the Mitchell brothers
In 2003, Carly joined the girl band Urban Lady, who released a single called “Mutual” in 2003.
Since then, she has acquired TV and theatre credits on shows such as All Star Talent Show, Soapstar Superchef, and Britains Best Dish.
Carly has also landed leading roles in association with the RJ Williamson Shakespeare Company, New Vic Workships, and Ian Dickens Productions.
In 2009 Carly took a break from acting to start her family. She married actor Ben Probert, who most recently worked on the 2018 film Precognition.
EastEnders: Nicky left the square in 2000, while her brother Beppe stayed until 2002
EastEnders: Carly Hillman now tours the south east of England as a singer and performer
In recent years, Carly has concentrated on her singing career, and currently travels the South East with her singing show.
She also owns a stage school in Romford, Essex.
The di Marco family's arrival in 1998 wasn’t the only one to rock Albert Square as EastEnders heavy-hitters such as Mel Owen (Tamzin Outhwaite) and Steve Owen (Martin Kemp) also made their entrances.
EastEnders continues tonight at 7.30pm on BBC One.