October 23rd 2024.
In 1989, a new face graced the screens of Emmerdale – Claire King. Her portrayal of the fiery and ruthless Kim Tate has etched her name in the history of the show. But what if we told you that Claire King isn't actually her real name?
It's not uncommon for actors in the soap world to use a stage name, and sometimes it can be quite a drastic change. Take Georgia Taylor, who plays Toyah Battersby on Coronation Street since 1997, for example. Her birth name is actually Claire Jackson, while her co-stars Simon Gregson and Jane Danson have also made slight alterations to their names, from Simon Gregory to Simon Gregson and from Jane Dawson to Jane Danson.
Even over in EastEnders, Kat Slater's alter ego, Jessie Wallace, goes by a different name in real life – Karen Wallis. It's not just limited to the soap world either – many performers in the entertainment industry choose to use a stage name for various reasons.
Jayne Claire Seed is the name Claire King was born with, but she has been using a stage name since joining the industry. This is quite common, as there are multiple reasons why someone might choose a different name. One of the main reasons is to differentiate themselves from another performer who shares the same name. Another reason could be a requirement of joining Equity, the performing arts union, where an actor must choose a new name if their name has already been registered by someone else.
On the show, Kim Tate has been married five times to four different men, but she has mostly stuck with the Tate name. She briefly used her maiden name, Barker, during a separation from her first husband Frank, but they soon remarried. During her tumultuous marriage to Steve, Kim used the surname Marchant for a brief period. In 2012, she tied the knot with Graham Foster and ten years later, she married Will Taylor, but she has always retained the Tate name.
But things seem to be a bit frosty between Kim and her current husband Will, especially since she was recently revealed as his blackmailer. Could this lead to another divorce for the infamous Kim Tate? Fans have been buzzing about this possibility on social media, with some even discovering that Claire King's real name is Jayne Seed.
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