Who is EastEnders' Nicky di Marco and what was her link to Martin Fowler?

The residents of Albert Square are mourning the sad loss of icon , with his funeral bringing back characters who left Walford decades ago. In tonight's episode, fans hear a mention of Nicky di Marco, who was last seen in Walford 25 years ago.

Stacey and Jean Slater spot a card from the character on Martin's stall, as Stacey can be heard saying: "I remember Martin telling me about her." But who is Nicky di Marco and what was her link to Martin?

Nicky made her first appearance on the soap in 1998 and stayed up until 2000. Her character was played by Carly Hillman. She was the best friend of and had a brief relationship with Martin in the soap, but refused to have sex with him.

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After Nicky dumped Martin, he turned to Sonia, who had just been dumped by Enrico di Clemente. After a drunken night, Martin and Sonia lost their virginities to each other, and Sonia became pregnant.

However, the pair were unaware of Sonia's until she went into childbirth. She gave birth to daughter Bex, who made a return to the soap for her father's funeral.

After her brief relationship with Martin, Nicky fell in love with her maths tutor Rod Morris. Rod then sexually assaulted Nicky which caused her brother Gianni to attack him.

Nicky then decided to leave home after admitting she hadn't told the whole truth - and was afraid her family wouldn't believe she'd been assaulted if she'd told them she made the first move.

The character hasn't been seen back on the Square since, but she was briefly mentioned last year when she was contacted by .

Fans are now convinced the mentions are hinting towards Nicky's return, as one penned on X, formerly known as : "TWO mentions of Nicky Di Marco in the last few months. The return looms. ". Another excited fan exclaimed: "A Nicky di Marco reference in 2025?!"

Nicky isn't the only familiar name to grace Walford for Martin's funeral. Days after his death, Sharon could be heard on the phone to his sister Michelle Fowler.

Martin's funeral also saw the return of familiar faces, Vicki and Bex Fowler. Martin's niece Vicki is now played by , whereas his daughter Bex is played by .

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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