EastEnders' Emma Barton pays tribute to 'TV dad' after Nicky Henson passes away

News of his death broke yesterday
By Entertainment Daily

Emma Barton paid a touching tribute to late EastEnders co-star Nicky Henson.

The 42-year-old soap star – who plays Honey Mitchell – paid a heartfelt tribute to her on-screen dad after the Jack Edwards actor passed away on Monday (December 16) after a 19-year battle with cancer.

In a statement released on the soap’s Twitter account, she said: “Truly devastated to hear about the passing of my beautiful TV Dad.

“A wonderfully talented actor, a true gentleman, not forgetting his terrifically wicked sense of humour. Thinking of his family.”

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Emma later retweeted the post and added: “RIP my darling Nicky…”

Nicky starred as Jack Edwards on the BBC soap opera in 2006 when he had a brief fling with Queen Vic landlady Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor).

However, he soon broke it off after Peggy refused to accept Honey’s daughter, who has Down’s syndrome.

It was later revealed in 2010 the fictional character had been killed off-screen in a car accident.

Nicky played Honey's dad, Jack (Credit: BBC)
Nicky played Honey’s dad, Jack (Credit: BBC)

The actor – also appeared in the likes of Fawlty Towers and Downton Abbey – sadly died at the age of 74 with his friend Ian Oglivy confirming the news on Facebook.

RIP my darling Nicky.

Ian wrote: “After an illness which started twenty years ago, and which was born with great fortitude and good humour, my oldest and dearest friend, my mate Nicky Henson, has gone.”

Another Walford local took to social media to pay their respects to the beloved actor.

Stuart Antony – who played Simon White on the soap – tweeted: “RIP the wonderful Nicky Henson – The man with million stories all of them funny. A true gent x”

Nicky had a 19-year battle with cancer (Credit: SplashNews.com)
Nicky had a 19-year battle with cancer (Credit: SplashNews.com)

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Meanwhile, the official Instagram page for the soap shared an image of Nicky with a simple tribute.

The post read: “We’re so sorry to hear the sad news about Nicky Henson.”

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