Nicola West
| Nicola West | |||||||||||
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| Neighbours character | |||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Imogen Bailey | ||||||||||
| First appearance | 5 May 2008 | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | 8 October 2008 | ||||||||||
| Introduced by | Ric Pellizzeri | ||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||
| Occupation | Nurse | ||||||||||
| Home | West Waratah | ||||||||||
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| Mother | Yvonne West |
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| Sisters | Miranda Parker |
| Nephews | Riley Parker |
| Nieces | Bridget Parker |
| Other relatives | India Napier |
Nicola West is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Imogen Bailey. She made her on-screen debut on 5 May 2008. She departed the show on 8 October 2008. The character has been central to many storylines including a HIV scare, incest and mental illness.
Nicola was created as Miranda Parker's (Nikki Coghill) younger sister. Model turned actress Imogen Bailey was asked by producers to portray her. Bailey got the part after her agent informed producers that she had been taking acting classes for one year prior, in December 2007 Bailey auditioned and impressed the casting team so much that she received the part two days later. She was signed to a six-month contract. Around the time fellow model Erin McNaught and singer Dean Geyer were also cast as Sienna Cammeniti and Ty Harper respectively. The castings angered the acting industry, who accused Neighbours of hiring celebrities to boost ratings. Of this Brisbane acting agency Ego Management chief, Mark Eaton, commented that credible actors were missing out on job opportunities, adding: "This is all done to try to get viewing figures up – the producers are not worried about the quality of the show at all." Executive producer Susan Bower defended the castings stating the actors were doing extremely well. Bailey began filming her role on 21 January 2008.
Nicola's persona is complex, she has been shown to be manipulative, usually with good intentions. Of this Bailey described her during an interview with the Herald Sun stating: "She's a bit of a vixen, but is quite down to earth as well. When you first see her, she's trying to impress everybody – she's dressed up, her hair is done and there's a lot of make-up, But gradually she feels more comfortable in Ramsay St and realises she doesn't have to do that, so the real her emerges." Defending her 'man eating' ways she added: "She does have a bit of sexual prowess but also has a very big heart and she's not coming from a really bad place. She's just looking for love. She has her femme-fatale moments, but she's a femme fatale with a really big heart and when the doors are closed she's not as sure of herself as she'd like people to think she is." According to Bailey Nicola's best qualities the fact she is a sexy siren and a big trouble-maker.
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