Last Updated: 31 October 2026
Adam Rickitt is an English actor and singer whose career has taken him from the cobbles of Coronation Street to the UK pop charts, from a New Zealand soap to a Cheshire bar. Born in Crewe in 1978, He first found fame as Nick Tilsley on ITV’s long-running soap, then swapped acting for a pop career that produced a Top 5 single, before returning to television in Shortland Street, Hollyoaks and Doctors. This biography traces his journey in full, from his early life and breakthrough role to his music, his later career moves and his life today.
Who is Adam Rickitt? Adam Rickitt is an English actor and singer, born Adam Peter Rickitt on 29 May 1978 in Crewe, Cheshire. He is best known for playing Nick Tilsley in Coronation Street between 1997 and 2004, for his 1999 UK Top 5 single “I Breathe Again”, and for later soap roles as Kieran Mitchell in Shortland Street and Kyle Kelly in Hollyoaks. Since 2019 he has also run an artisan bottle shop in Knutsford with his wife Katy.
Who Is Adam Rickitt? Early Life and Background
Adam Rickitt was born in Crewe, the youngest of four boys, and grew up in Cuddington, Eddisbury, in Cheshire. His father was the co-owner of an estate agency, and the boys were raised by their mother, Jill. He was educated at Sedbergh School, a boarding school in Cumbria.
Before acting, Rickitt worked briefly as a child model and later modelled for magazines including Attitude and Cosmopolitan. Modelling gave him an early taste of life in front of a camera, but nothing in those early years pointed directly to the soap fame that would follow. The simplest definition of his breakthrough is this: Adam Rickitt is a soap actor turned pop singer whose name became familiar to millions of British television viewers in the late 1990s.
Coronation Street: Becoming Nick Tilsley
Adam Rickitt auditioned for Coronation Street in 1997, later saying he did it as a joke, having never watched an episode, and that his agent did not expect him to get the part. He did get it. He took over the role of Nick Tilsley from Warren Jackson, whose version of the character had moved to Canada, and he played Nick across three stints: from October 1997 to April 1999, from July to August 2002, and from September 2003 to July 2004.
Nick Tilsley made Adam Rickitt a household name. His most famous and controversial storyline came in 2003, when Nick was involved in the series’ first gay kiss, with Todd Grimshaw, played by Bruno Langley. The storyline drew wide attention at the time and remains one of the most talked-about moments of Rickitt’s time on the cobbles.
Adam Rickitt’s work on the soap also brought him award recognition. He was nominated for Most Popular Newcomer at the National Television Awards in 1998 and for Sexiest Male at the British Soap Awards in 1999. When the role of Nick was recast a second time in 2009, Ben Price took over the part, as Rickitt was by then appearing in New Zealand.
The Pop Career: Good Times and a Top 5 Hit
Rickitt left Coronation Street in 1999 to start a music career, signing a six-album deal with Polydor Records. In the end he released only one album, Good Times, on 18 October 1999. The album reached number 41 on the UK Albums Chart and number 68 in Scotland, and Rickitt was then dropped by the label.
The singles told a brighter story than the album. Adam Rickitt’s debut single, “I Breathe Again”, was released on 14 June 1999, reached number five on the UK Singles Chart, stayed on the chart for ten weeks and was certified silver by the BPI. Its follow-ups were less successful: “Everything My Heart Desires” reached number 15 in the UK, and “The Best Thing”, released on 24 January 2000, reached number 25. All three singles made the UK Top 25, which is why “I Breathe Again” remains the song most people associate with Rickitt.
There was one frightening moment during the pop years. In 1999, at a performance at The Prince’s Trust Party in the Park, a member of the audience sprayed gas onto the stage while he was performing. He fainted after inhaling the substance and was taken to hospital. A later non-album single, “Tonight”, released in 2010, did not chart, and a planned new album from that period was never released.
The singles in detail. The chart story of the pop career is worth setting out in full, because it shows both the high point and the short shelf life that followed. “I Breathe Again” was released on 14 June 1999 and went straight into the UK chart at number five, where its ten-week run and silver certification from the BPI made it the clear standout of the era. UK sales of the single stood at around 200,000 as of 2019. Outside the UK it also reached number 16 in Ireland, number six in Scotland and number nine in Hungary.
“Everything My Heart Desires” followed on 4 October 1999 and reached number 15 in the UK. The song was also recorded by American singer Mandy Moore, which gives it a small place in pop history beyond Rickitt’s own version. “The Best Thing” came next, on 24 January 2000, reaching number 25. The label had originally announced the album’s title track, “Good Times”, as the third single, but chose “The Best Thing” instead. The album itself, released on 18 October 1999, peaked at number 41 in the UK and number 68 in Scotland.
Music never quite left the picture. In 2010, Rickitt appeared at London’s G-A-Y club and announced that he was working on a new album. The first single from it, “Tonight”, failed to chart and the album was never released, which left Good Times as his only solo album. Four years later, the 5th Story reunion gave him a different kind of musical comeback, this time as part of a group rather than as a solo star.
Stage Work and a Turn to Politics
After the pop career stalled, Rickitt returned to the stage. He starred as Mark Cohen in the 2001 UK tour of the musical Rent, before moving to London’s West End, and he later appeared in Bill Kenwright’s production Office Games, in a new play called Final Judgement, and in Nick Moran’s play Telstar on UK tour in 2005.
He also took part in the Channel 4 reality series The Games in March 2006, stepping in as a replacement after the scheduled contestant, Goldie, had to pull out following an accident. Rickitt himself picked up two black eyes after over-rotating off the diving board. In December 2006 he appeared in his first pantomime, playing Prince Charming in Cinderella at the Norwich Theatre Royal.
Politics then entered the picture. In October 2005, Rickitt was approved as a prospective parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party. He appeared on the political debate show Question Time in February 2006 as the non-partisan guest, and in May 2006 he was one of 100 would-be MPs chosen for the party’s A-list. He was at one stage tipped to stand for the safe Conservative seat of Macclesfield, which outraged its long-serving MP, Sir Nicholas Winterton, who responded that he had no intention of standing down, saying: “I wish Adam luck, but there are no vacancies here.” His political career did not progress, and in July 2007 he decided to continue his acting career in New Zealand rather than seek selection as a candidate.
Shortland Street: Three Years as Kieran Mitchell
Adam Rickitt joined the cast of the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street in early 2007, playing the mysterious Kieran Mitchell, with his first appearance shown on 16 March 2007. The character’s storylines had not been fully formed when he joined, which gave Rickitt unusual creative freedom with the role. Kieran Mitchell was written out of the series in 2010, with Rickitt’s final episode broadcast on 2 August 2010, and the character’s death episode drew high ratings for the soap. He later said that he preferred his role on Shortland Street to working on Coronation Street.
The New Zealand years also brought an off-screen headline. On 21 September 2007, Adam Rickitt was arrested and charged with shoplifting a block of cheese, a bottle of HP sauce and a jar of coffee beans from an Auckland supermarket. He claimed at the time that it was an honest mistake, though he later said he had been drunk during the incident. He returned to the political scene briefly in October 2010 as a guest reporter for ITV’s Daybreak, covering the Conservative Party Conference from Birmingham.
Hollyoaks, Doctors and a Return to British Soaps
Back in the United Kingdom, Rickitt returned to soap acting. In 2014 he became part of the supergroup 5th Story, who took part in the second series of ITV’s The Big Reunion, alongside Kenzie from Blazin’ Squad, Dane Bowers from Another Level, Kavana and Gareth Gates. In 2016 he made a guest appearance in an episode of the BBC medical soap Doctors, playing Logan Flynn.
Adam Rickitt was then cast in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks as regular character Kyle Kelly, appearing from 2017 to 2020. His storylines included a love story with a character played by Duncan James, and he also appeared in the Hollyoaks Later 2020 special. He left the soap in June 2020 when Kyle was written out of the show. In June 2023 it was announced that Rickitt would be returning to Doctors, and his episode aired in December 2023, in which he portrayed Michael Harvey. His earlier Doctors appearance had come in 2001, when he played James Neville.
His other screen credits include Judge John Deed, in which he played Roy Storidge in the 2005 episode “Popular Appeal”, and the 2010 film Whatever Happened to Pete Blaggit?, in which he played Clive. His awards record also includes a nomination for British Pop Newcomer at the BRIT Awards in 2000, rounding out a run of nominations across both his acting and music careers.
Adam Rickitt’s Roles at a Glance
| Years | Show or project | Role |
| 1997–1999, 2002, 2003–2004 | Coronation Street | Nick Tilsley |
| 1999–2000 | Pop career (Polydor) | Solo artist; album Good Times |
| 2001 | Rent (UK tour, then West End) | Mark Cohen |
| 2005 | Judge John Deed | Roy Storidge |
| 2007–2010 | Shortland Street | Kieran Mitchell |
| 2010 | Whatever Happened to Pete Blaggit? | Clive |
| 2014 | The Big Reunion (5th Story) | Himself |
| 2017–2020 | Hollyoaks | Kyle Kelly |
| 2001, 2016, 2023 | Doctors | James Neville; Logan Flynn; Michael Harvey |
Adam Rickitt Today: Bar, Charity Work and Family Life
Adam Rickitt married Good Morning Britain presenter Katy Fawcett in 2014. In 2019, the couple took over an artisan bottle shop called Dexter and Jones in the Cheshire town of Knutsford, and running the bar has been a major part of Rickitt’s life since he stepped back from full-time acting. The shop has been reported as stocking around 450 different craft beers and 150 varieties of gin. In November 2023, Rickitt fronted a charity calendar in Knutsford, with local men taking part to raise money for testicular and prostate cancer charities, and the calendar was launched at Dexter and Jones itself, with the first batch going on sale on the night.
Charity work has been a long thread in Rickitt’s life away from the screen. He worked for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as a capital appeals manager, and he left that role in 2013 to begin working with the cancer charity Help Harry Help Others and as chief executive of the mental health foundation the Caerus Partnership. Rickitt has also spoken publicly about living with ankylosing spondylitis, an autoimmune condition affecting the spine, and about exercising daily to manage it.
There was one more legal headline in recent years. In August 2020, Adam Rickitt drove 600 metres while under the influence of alcohol to pick up a takeaway. The incident was widely reported at the time and stands in contrast to the quieter, community-focused life he has built in Knutsford since.
Conclusion
Adam Rickitt’s career is unusual because it has had three distinct acts: soap stardom as Nick Tilsley, a genuine pop hit with “I Breathe Again”, and then a long second life in soaps on two continents, followed by a new career running a bar. Few British television faces from the late 1990s have reinvented themselves as often, or as openly, as Adam Rickitt. Whether you remember him from the cobbles, from the charts, or from Hollyoaks, his story is a reminder of how varied a working actor’s life can be.
If this biography answered your questions about Adam Rickitt, share it with someone who still remembers Nick Tilsley, and check back on FamePost for more UK celebrity biographies. And if you are ever in Knutsford, you might just find its most famous former soap star behind the bar at Dexter and Jones.
Sources: Wikipedia — Adam Rickitt; Media Mole — Former Corrie, Hollyoaks star Adam Rickitt joins Doctors cast.
Who is Adam Rickitt?
Adam Rickitt is an English actor and singer, born Adam Peter Rickitt on 29 May 1978 in Crewe, Cheshire. He is best known for playing Nick Tilsley in Coronation Street, for his 1999 UK Top 5 single “I Breathe Again”, and for later soap roles as Kieran Mitchell in Shortland Street and Kyle Kelly in Hollyoaks. Since 2019 he has run the Dexter and Jones bottle shop in Knutsford with his wife Katy.
When was Adam Rickitt in Coronation Street?
Adam Rickitt played Nick Tilsley in Coronation Street across three stints: from October 1997 to April 1999, from July to August 2002, and from September 2003 to July 2004. He took over the role from Warren Jackson.
What was Adam Rickitt’s biggest song?
Adam Rickitt’s biggest song was “I Breathe Again”, released on 14 June 1999. It reached number five on the UK Singles Chart, stayed on the chart for ten weeks and was certified silver by the BPI.
What happened to Adam Rickitt’s pop career?
Adam Rickitt signed a six-album deal with Polydor Records but released only one album, Good Times, on 18 October 1999, which reached number 41 in the UK, and he was then dropped by the label. A later single, “Tonight” (2010), did not chart, and in 2014 he returned to music as part of the supergroup 5th Story on ITV’s The Big Reunion.
Who did Adam Rickitt play in Hollyoaks?
Adam Rickitt played regular character Kyle Kelly in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks from 2017 to 2020. He left the soap in June 2020 when Kyle was written out of the show.
What does Adam Rickitt do now?
Since 2019, Adam Rickitt has run the artisan bottle shop Dexter and Jones in Knutsford, Cheshire, with his wife Katy Fawcett, whom he married in 2014. His most recent acting role was Michael Harvey in Doctors, in an episode that aired in December 2023.
