Kim Tate in Emmerdale: Tragic toyboy lover, actual kill count and real age
How many times has she been married? And how old is she?
Kim Tate is as much a part of Emmerdale as the Dingles, the Sugdens or the Woolpack! Since she first arrived in the village back in 1989, Kim’s become one of the show’s most iconic characters.
More than three decades, and several husbands, children, grandchildren and vendettas later, and Kim has well and truly made her presence felt in Emmerdale.
Here’s everything you need to know about Kim Tate, Emmerdale’s superbitch and queen of Home Farm.
The arrival of the Tates
When Kim arrived in the village it was as the younger second wife of millionaire haulage firm boss, Frank. Along with Frank’s grown-up kids Chris and Zoe, the family were seemingly happy but under the surface, things were different!
While Zoe rubbed along okay with her stepmum, Chris hated her, and Kim herself wasn’t massively keen on family life.
How old was Kim Tate when she arrived in Emmerdale?
Kim had just turned 30 when she and Frank came to the village, making her very young to have stepkids in their 20s! It now makes her 65 years old.
Frank was more than 20 years older than his wife and the age gap started to show. No wonder Kim found fun elsewhere…
Kim and Dave Glover
After a romance with Neil Kincaid, Kim’s roaming eye fell on Dave Glover. By then, Chris had got divorced from his first wife, Kathy, and was in a relationship with Rachel Hughes (Joe Tate’s mum).
Kathy herself had moved on and had a new fella – Dave Glover.
But Kathy was no match for the charms of Kim, and Dave was soon embarking on a steamy affair with the lady of the manor. In fact, the pair fell hard for each other and Kim worked very hard to keep things quiet – she even trampled Kathy’s brother Nick with her horse when he threatened to expose her affair! AND she even made threats towards Nick’s little girl, Alice, too.
When Frank had a heart attack and was told to take things easy, Kim saw her chance to get out of her marriage. She seduced her husband in the hope of inducing another heart attack.
But instead she found out she was pregnant, and she wasn’t sure whether Frank or Dave was the daddy.
Frank though was as scheming as his wife, and he got wind of the affair. He got evidence of the illicit romance and he confronted his wife – he told her he’d give her a million pounds to dump Dave and name Frank as the father of the baby.
Money-hungry Kim agreed. The baby was born and named James. But Kim couldn’t resist Dave, and soon their affair was back on.
But tragedy was round the corner! When a fire broke out in Home Farm, Dave climbed in to save baby James. He managed to get the tot out, but Dave was killed.
Frank’s death
Kim was heartbroken, and fled the village. She even paid a look-a-like to drive round Emmerdale in her car to stop anyone tracking her down. But when the other woman crashed and died, things took a dark turn! Frank identified the body as Kim, and was arrested for murder.
When he was released, Kim showed up and revealed she was alive – causing Frank to have a heart attack and die! Kim coldly powdered her nose as she watched him pass away, before checking whether he was breathing with her compact.
Kim Tate marries Steve Marchant in Emmerdale
After Frank’s death, Kim began a romance with another businessman, Steve Marchant. They seemed to be a match made in heaven, but their spending habits meant they were soon brassic. The pair hatched a plan to exchange a pricey racehorse for a nag. But things went wrong and Steve ended up running over Kathy. To make matters worse, he tried to finish her off in hospital!
Kim managed to manipulate Kathy into shopping Steve to the police, and eventually Steve went to jail while Kim did a runner in a helicopter!
When the pilot asked her if she was Kim Marchant, Kim said: “No. Kim Tate.”
Kim Tate returns to Emmerdale
Kim wasn’t seen in the village for years after that, but in 2018, she was released from prison, and showed up back in Emmerdale. She was greeted on her release by Graham Foster and arrived at Home Farm, announcing that she was back as the owner. Meanwhile, Graham had given Joe Tate £10,000 and told him to flee the village.
But the big story as Kim returned was her being shoved off the balcony and on to the champagne fountain down below. Kim survived and the assailant was later revealed to be Faith Dingle.
After Kim was discharged from hospital, she was thrown back in jail for six months!
Graham Foster
On her release, Kim and Graham reunited and there began a confusing round of lies and fakery as Graham told Kim that Cain had killed Joe – even though he’d told her he’d done it, and even though Joe was alive and kicking.
Kim found out the truth, and tried to make Cain believe she’d killed Noah instead. Eventually things settled down and with everyone alive, things carried on as normal at Home Farm.
Until Jamie arrived.
Jamie Tate
Kim’s son Jamie arrived in the village to work at the vet’s and just a few weeks later his estranged wife Andrea and daughter Millie arrived to the surprise of Kim, who hadn’t know they existed.
It turned out that Graham had hired Andrea to keep an eye on Jamie when he couldn’t and she’d fallen for him. But she’d also had a brief liaison with Graham too and he thought he was Millie’s father – he wasn’t, but that didn’t stop him announcing his fling with Andrea at Christmas dinner.
When Graham was murdered – for real this time, he was actually dead – there were many suspects, including Kim. The culprit turned out to be Rhona’s rapist ex Pierce Harris, who wasn’t happy about Rhona’s new romance with Graham.
Kim and Jamie
Meanwhile, Kim’s relationship with her son Jamie was falling apart. Jamie had a romance with Belle Dingle, as well as Gabby Thomas – who got pregnant with his son, Thomas – and Dawn Taylor.
He proved he was a true Tate by plotting and scheming in all sorts of ways, including drugging his mother to make her think she was ill. Eventually he was given his comeuppance when his mum – you’ve guessed it – faked her own death (with a bit of help from new fella Will Taylor).
Later, Jamie got his own back by faking his own death too!
Will Taylor and Kim Tate in Emmerdale
Meanwhile Kim had fallen for Will, and the pair seemed to be a great match building a slightly odd, but somehow functional family at Home Farm, with Dawn, as well as Gabby and little Thomas, and eventually Dawn’s kids and husband Billy, too.
There was the slight headache about the man Dawn had killed – corrupt cop DI Malone. Will helped them cover up the crime and buried the body, and Kim eventually made it go away – literally.
Kim and Will married with Will becoming Kim’s fourth husband!
There were more headaches in the shape of Will’s ex, Harriet Finch, who was killed in the storm, and Dawn’s mum, Rose, who eventually destroyed Will and Kim’s marriage.
Caleb and Nicky’s scheme
Nicky arrived in Emmerdale as a ‘manny’ for Thomas, but he was soon wooing Gabby who fell for him hard. Except it turned out Nicky was gay, and the wedding he’d planned with Gabby was part of an elaborate con to swindle Kim out of her money.
When Caleb Miligan came to the village – Cain and Chas’s half brother, turned out to be a secret Tate. It was revealed his mum, Faith, had a fling with Frank and Caleb was the result.
Obviously Caleb blamed Kim for his terrible childhood in care and not his actual parents, and he was determined to ruin her.
But Kim got wind of what he was up to and his plan failed. He seems to still be keen on getting his hands on her cash though.
More plots
Will died on Christmas Day, for real. He collapsed, just as Frank had done, and Kim – thinking he was faking – didn’t help. She even fixed her make-up just as she’d done all those years before. Until she realised it was all true and desperately tried to save her husband.
Meanwhile, before his (real!) death, Will was sucked into a plan by Kim’s financial advisor Peter, to ruin her. As it happened, it wasn’t Peter’s plan after all, but Joe Tate’s.
But now Joe’s making out he’s had a personality transplant and is full of concern for his one-time step-grandmother. We’re not sure what’s going on, frankly. Perhaps it’s time for someone to fake their own death?
Claire King has played Kim Tate in Emmerdale since 1989.
Actress Claire is 63 years old – making her three years younger than her alter ego, Kim. She’s had a long career in showbiz, starting out as a DJ and in a punk band!
After a few small roles, Claire King landed the part of Kim Tate and she never looked back!
Other roles for Claire King
After 10 years in Emmerdale, she left Kim Tate behind and went on to star in Bad Girls as prison governor Karen Betts, a role that won her even more fans.
She also starred in Down to Earth, Dalziel and Pascoe, Holby City and Doctors. She played Justin Burton’s barrister in Hollyoaks and played Erica Holdroyd in Coronation Street for three years.
In 2006, Claire took part in Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with Brendan Cole, and in 2014 she was in Celebrity Big Brother.
Marriage to Emmerdale co-star – and divorce
In 1994, Claire married her co-star Peter Amory, who played her step-son Chris Tate. They separated after 10 years together, when he fell for Claire’s fellow Emmerdale star Samantha Giles, who played Bernice Blackstock.
Claire has found love again though her partner prefers to stay out of the spotlight. She is a stepmum to his kids and has spoken about how rewarding she has found that part of her life.
Claire’s also had some health issues, being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis before she joined Emmerdale back in the 1980s. It’s an autoimmune condition that can cause joint pain and stiffness and Claire has admitted it’s meant sometimes it’s been a struggle to work, or enjoy the passion she shares with her alter ego Kim – horse riding.
Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.
Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.
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