Simon Meredith

When Simon first laid eyes on Nicola Blackstock, he knew she was the woman for him. Unfortunately for the friendly fishmonger, it took the object of his affections longer to work out he was the one for her too. The problem was that Nicola had taken a shine to Simon’s fellow fishmonger, Kenny, and asked her pal Emily Kirk to arrange a date for them. Misunderstanding her friend, the post mistress sorted out a drink for Nicola with Simon, and she was horrified to find a round, plain man waiting for her.

But whatever Simon might look like, inside he’s an absolute diamond - as proved by the fact everyone in Emmerdale loves him.

Although he started dating Nicola, who he nicknamed "Frosty", Simon’s feelings were trampled on when she took local stud Syd Woolfe to her school reunion because she was ashamed of her real life lover. In a horrible twist, Simon had been planning to propose to her on her return from the night out but, when he heard her thanking Syd for accompanying her, Simon found it hard to forgive. However, when Nicola realised she was losing the one man who truly loved her, she set a plan in motion to prove her devotion once and for all. In front of family, friends and her old school chums, Nicola declared her love for Simon and introduced him to everyone. Won over, Simon proposes and the couple look forward to the future together.

But their happiness doesn’t last for long. The reappearance of Simon’s ex-fiancée Tash Abbott sets off the green eyed-monster in Nicola and the two women come to blows. Furious at Nicola’s jealous behaviour, Simon flees to his mother in Scarborough - followed by Nicola. Desperate not to lose him, Nicola launches an impassioned speech and Simon finally accepts she properly loves him. The couple got re-engaged and bought Mulberry Cottage in Emmerdale and it looked like they were set up for a happy beginning to their marriage.

However, unbeknown to Simon, his mother Lesley Meredith had run their business in to the ground and in a matter of weeks, they lost everything. Broke and ruined, Simon was at his lowest ebb and Nicola did nothing to ease his agony. Instead, she tried to convince him to let her millionaire father, Rodney, bail them out. Simon was horrified and it was the beginning of the end of their relationship. Nicola couldn’t live without money and Simon – who’d by now got a job on the bins – was bringing in next to nothing. Sick of each other, the couple started rowing to a terrible extent.

Caught in the crossfire was Ivan Jones, their lodger – who was dating Nicola’s half-brother Paul Lambert. Unbeknownst to Simon, Nicola had developed a huge crush on Ivan and was trying her level best to seduce him. When Simon’s mum, Lesley, saw Nicola dressed in skimpy underwear and pawing Ivan, she assumed they were having an affair – and soon everyone knew. Simon was horrified at the thought of the two people closest to him had betrayed him and disowned them both.

He was mortified to discover later that Ivan had been completely innocent and wronged, he begged him to move back in and after a while, they got their friendship back on track. Life seemed to be back on an even keel at Mulberry Cottage but there was another drama about to unfold.

Lesley bumped into Bobby-John, a man she’d fallen for in her youth and they rekindled their romance. Simon was deeply skeptical of Bobby-John and worried Lesley was heading for a fall. She was, but it wasn’t of Bobby-John’s making. She’d been stealing money from Kelly Windsor’s credit card and used it pay for a posh break away with Bobby-John. When the truth came out, everyone was horrified and Lesley was left thinking she’d lost everyone. Fortunately, Bobby-John found it in his heart to forgive her and they rode off into the sunset together. Simon and best mate Ivan have become dissatisfied with their lives and jobs in Emmerdale, so on 2 August, they bid farewell to 'the village of the damned' and headed for the warm beaches of Costa Rica.