EastEnders' di Marco star living very different life after turning back on fame

31 August 2023 , 12:30

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EastEnders' di Marco star living very different life after turning back on fame

She was once famous for playing schoolgirl Nicky di Marco in the late 90s on EastEnders, but now she’s turned her back on fame and has embraced a different life away from Albert Square.

Carly Hillman played the teenager on the long-running BBC soap until 2000, and the beloved family - matriarch Rosa, played by Louise Jameson, big brothers Beppe (Michael Greco) and Gianni (Marc Bannerman), and sister Theresa (Leila Birch) - arrived in Walford in 1998, and were a big hit with fans. Nicky’s storylines were tame to begin with, as she befriended Sona Jackson, and briefly dated Martin Fowler.

But she hit the headlines in 2000 when her character developed a crush on her teacher. Disappointed with her daughter’s grades, Rosa decided to hire Nicky a tutor, Rod Morris, to help her pass her maths GCSE. Unfortunately, the schoolgirl tried to seduce the teacher, and after she tried to kiss him, he sexually assaulted her. Nicky ran home to tell her family, prompting big brother Gianni to visit Rod and brutally beat him up.

Carly played Nicky di Marco from 1998 to 2000 (BBC)

Now, she works as a professional singer (Twitter/ @carly_hillman)

Rod was charged with assaulting Nicky, but the teenager then confessed she had made the first move, and was terrified her family wouldn’t have believed he had assaulted her because she kissed him first. The di Marco family dropped the charges against Rod, on the condition he didn’t pursue action over Gianni’s attack, and humiliated, Nicky fled Walford and ended up in a youth hostel.

Now, the 40-year-old actress has pursued a different career, and works as a professional singer. Carly performs as a solo vocalist at weddings, birthday parties and corporate events, singing pop, soul and disco hits to a new audience of fans. The Essex-born star also started her own performing arts school, Act One Stage School based in Romford.

EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness

Michael, Carly, Louise and Leila reunited earlier this year (Twitter/ @MichaelGreco2)

Soon after Carly left EastEnders, the rest of the iconic di Marco family were written out of the soap, with Rosa, Gianni and Theresa leaving for a new life in Leicester. Two years later, Beppe departed Albert Square, and it was revealed Rosa had died off screen. But soap fans were over the moon earlier this year, when Carly reunited with her on-screen brother and sister, 23 years after they last appeared together.

“Wonderful reunion with my TV family. Laughing, reminiscing and making new memories. Such a strong bond. So much love,” Leila, who played Theresa, wrote alongside a snap of her with Michael, Carly and Louise. “Such a lovely afternoon. Think we could’ve sat there for another 4 hours catching up!” Carly wrote in the comments.

Emma Wilson