Inside Emmerdale actor Anthony Quinlan’s secret romance with Hollyoaks’ Nikki Sanderson
17 January 2022, 08:32 | Updated: 17 January 2022, 10:30
Anthony Quinlan is reportedly dating fellow soap star Nikki Sanderson after the pair struck up a romance last year.
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We all love a real life soap romance, and the worlds of Emmerdale and Hollyoaks have seemingly collided this week.
Yep, it has been reported that Anthony Quinlan has been secretly dating Nikki Sanderson after the pair struck up a relationship last year.
Hollyoaks star Nikki - who plays Maxine Minniver in the soap - split with ex Greg Whitehurst during lockdown in 2020 after dating for five years.
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“Sadly Greg and I have decided to separate. We remain friends and wish the best for each other in the future,” Nikki said at the time.
And now the 37-year-old is said to be enjoying her romance with Emmerdale’s Anthony, with a source telling The Sun: “Nikki and Anthony go to the same gym and are really into fitness, so they bonded over that.
“It’s been a while now and things are going well.
“Nikki has been having a bit of a tough time lately, and Anthony has been a great support for her.”
Anthony played Pete Barton in Emmerdale from 2013 to 2020, while he also starred as Gilly Roach in Hollyoaks from 2005-2009.
He was dating Strictly Come Dancing professional Dianne Buswell until 2018, when the pair split shortly before Dianne got together with Strictly partner Joe Sugg.
The ex-Emmerdale star said: “Of course I’d love to meet the right person and eventually I’d like to get married and start a family.”
Nikki has been on Hollyoaks since 2012, and has been part of some huge plots, including a huge domestic violence storyline involving her late husband Patrick Blake (Jeremy Sheffield).
She also played Candice Stowe in Coronation Street and Dawn Bellamy in Heartbeat.
Meanwhile, since quitting Emmerdale in 2020, Anthony has turned his hand to personal training and becoming a lifestyle coach.
