13th January 2004
And it wasn't just the Most Popular Newcomer Award that Nigel picked up that night. He left the event with blonde music PR girl Charlotte Brant, 31 - who used to date Kylies ex, James Gooding, and Martine McCutcheons fella James Tanner - and she was pictured leaving his flat early the next morning. She's now telling friends they're an item - lucky girl!
Nigels success in Eastenders is all the more suprising given that the role that made him famous - as bad boy Dennis Rickman - is not exactly one he was born to play. A public school educated Home Counties boy, with a suspicious deep - seated interst in musical theatre, Nigel (even the name...!) would hardly be likely to be anyones first choice for the role of a murdering son of a gangster in the UK's grittiest soap.
Before he landed the coveted Eastenders role, Nigel was a fully fledged thespian. Unlike his adopted brother, Kevin, 34, who recently revealed how he was sent to the local comprehensive and has spent the last two years sleeping on friends floors and survivng on income support, Nigel took his GCSEs at posh Dulwich College in London.
As a child, he appeared in TV ads, theatre productions, and dramas, like Tenko. then at 16, he began studying musical theatre at college, before performing in productions like Mamma Mia. But theres another event in his life that perhaps explains why Nigel is more suited to the role of tortured soul Dennis than we'd first imagine.
When he was 17, Nigels mum died of cancer. He said of the experience that it "made me a better actor - it gave me that darker edge. I can really tap into that when Im doing difficult stuff"
And, of course, there are his looks. Nigel, 30, possesses a dodgy, dangerous sort of sexiness that comes across in the slight roughness of his face and the edge to his voice. Hes the sexiest bad boy since, well, Dirty Den himself, with his big scenes opposite Leslie Grantham set to make Nigel soap royalty - and a worthy successor to the original Den. Here he tells NEW! about his new-found fame, stripping on stage, and the perils of the single life...
Isn't Eastenders the best job in the world and a sell out at the same time? Yeah, its a double edged sword. Its a great gig, and Ive come to learn, really. I dont know how long Im going to be here for but you can come out and do a Martin Kemp or you can come out and never work again.
You can always do panto... No. Not really my bag. And I could always go back to singing in musicals, not that Id want to.
Were you overawed when you came into the cast? Yeah, a little bit, but not by the people, more the size of the show and all the stuff that comes with the job, like the autographs and the press thing.
Does that make you think you cant just go out and sleep with someone youve just met? Yeah. But I dont often find myself at Chinawhite or somewhere like that anyway. It just doesnt do it for me.
But you might meet some girl who seems nice and then wake up to read about your prowess. Oh, yeah. To you its a quick shag, to them its 20 grand. Some girl came up me at the weekend and she was lovely really cute, and she was just sending me signals like you wouldnt believe. And Im just like, "You only want to sleep with me because Im on the telly, you dont even know me" Of course you want to sleep with people because sex is great, but youre taking a risk everytime you do.
Have you had any scary stalkers yet? Not scary ones, but it'll come, because Dennis is a bit of a hard lad. When I feel most on my guard is with a group of young lads who are pissed because then its "Oh, theres Dennis, wont it be cool to tell Dennis to f**k off!"
No more pub fights then Ive never fought. I was hit once when I was 17. I was out with this girl, and we were going to the pub. She cut these blokes up who were behind us and they were both really pissed and one squared up to me and smacked me. I didnt even see it coming!
Are you from a scrappy background?No, Im a Surrey boy really, a classic middle class upbringing. My dad is a retired bank manager. I lived in a really nice house with a big garden in Woldingham, which is Conservative heaven. i went to private school and then Dulwich college, so allegedly Im educated.
Your accents quite street. Is it real? I was never really posh. I think Im one of those plastic Londoners. But when I meet up with my dads friends Im a bit better spoken and I try not to swear, but it never works. i was on GMTV the other day and I nearly said "sh*t!"
And were your parents alright about you going into acting? Yeah, they were brilliant about it. I did my first job for money when I was eight, doing an OXO ad, way back before Linda Bellingham. When I was six I did a show for my dad in a sailor suit called Waltzes From Vienna.
Didnt people at school call you a big lady for being into drama? I was lucky because they thought I was quite cool and did loads of sport; I was captain of the football team, cricket rugby, everything. Then I did a musical theatre course when I was 16. I can tap, but Im pretty sh*t at ballet - I can blag it from the waist up but from the waist down Im sh*t. Bad feet.
Were you the only straight boy in the class? No, we were about half and half.
Do gay men come on to you? Oh yeah. Ive had that all my life, its funny. A lot of them thought "if hes singing and dancing then he must be gay. He doesnt know it yet and Im going to be the one." I just got used to it. Id just be like "no" and that would be it.
Youve become Eastenders No.1 sex symbol, but youve been single for most of the time youve been on the show... Well, Ive never been a relationship junkie. I dont have phobias about relationships, but unless I meet someone who makes me go "wow"... Im 30 so Im quite clear about what I like in people so I kind of know quite soon.
What do you like? Confidence. People who are comfortable with themselves, who know their minds. And obviously beauty is a good thing.
What about the whole older woman thing like Demi Moore and Ashton... Bloody hell, Id go out with Demi Moore. Jesus, shes dynamite. I dont have an agenda, its face value isnt it? You meet people and you like them or you dont.
So who on Eastenders? Nana Moon. Shes a rocking chick.
Did you used to watch Eastenders? Yeah. When Jessie Wallace, aka Kat Slater gets going, shes unbelievable. I knew Jessie anyway: she was on Mamma Mia as wig mistress and make up designer when I was on it.
Mamma Mia The audience loved it, but for me it was like a death sentence. It was like doing community service every night. Im very proud to have been in it because its such a big success.
Whats it like being Dirty Dens son? they printed a picture of me in the square that they released to the Sundays, and then somebody put a little indent of Leslie grantham (Den) and we were doing exactly the same pose in exactly the same part of the Square, and I was like "Ooh I do actually look like him.! I think weve got quite similar body language aswell; we're both quite laconic and laid back, we have a very similar vibe. And thats really exciting. I remember, we were doing a night shoot and I was standing outside the caff, basically watching him from an alleyway, and hes walking down past the Vic, and I was totally watching him like a fan; I was like "Oh my God, theres Dirty Den." And then I went - "Im playing his son!"
So is there anyone on Eastenders you don't get on with Like Id tell you!
You dont have to name names... Its like any job; its like going into the office. But the B*tching is even worse in the office, because theyre all bored - at least actors are quite often interested in what theyre doing, apart from seven months down the line singing Dancing Queen three times a night. Me and Tish [Letisha Dean who plays Sharon] get on like a house on fire.
How long are you giving Eastenders? Im here for a year and then its up the them. I mean, I could be here for three years, I could be here for 20. I dont think Im here for good, because you cant think like that.
So, youre the new Eastenders sex symbol. But then you must be used to being ogled after stripping in Privates on Parade [at the Donmar Warehouse] every night... Ive never noticed that, but then again, if youre noticing what the audience are doing then youre not doing your job. For the first couple of shows I thought "Ooh! Im taking my clothes off!" After that I loved it! Its just a liberating thing. Youre breaking a taboo. I didnt get shy about it. Its worse when you first do it with your mates that youve been rehearsing with for the last six weeks.
Did your dad come and see you in the show? Yeah, he thought it was hysterical. People were coming to see it who I hadnt seen since I was ten - aunties and uncles and that. He wouldnt tell them what was going to happen and then Id be taking my kit off and theyd be like "Oh my God! Theres little Nigel and hes got pubes!"
Were you worried what your body would look like? Not really. I was worried if I had a spotty arse but you can really do yourself in if you start thinking like that. A knobs a knob, lets face it. Ive never had a huge penis and Ive never had a small one so it doesnt bother me. Im just happy. Its all part of the job.
Is there anything you wouldnt do? If theres a reason to take my clothes off, then yeah, Ill do it. But if theres no point to it then Im not interested. Its like I say here at Eastenders all the time "I dont see why Im in a towel for this scene." And theyre like, "Fine."
Would they like you in that towel at all times? Quite often, yeah, but not at all times. The irony is that because Im never not working, I never get to the gym anymore so whats the point anyway? I mean my tits are saggy!
So you dont want to be a sex symbol? I know it sounds wanky but I want to be an actor. Im lucky that some people find me attractive, and Im not gonna turn my back on that because I know I aint a good enough actor. i know thats part of my package."