Nikki Sanderson (born 28 March 1984) is an English actress who is known for playing Candice Stowe in the television soap opera Coronation Street, Dawn Bellamy in Heartbeat During her time at Coronation Street and since, she has also been a television presenter on programmes such as CD:UK, Junior Eurovision: The British Final and Ministry of Mayhem.
Career
Sanderson joined Coronation Street in 1999 and left in autumn 2005, when her character left Weatherfield to become a stylist for Status Quo. and in 2004, the hit fitness DVD Coronation Street: Funk Fit.
Since leaving Coronation Street she has appeared in episodes of the BBC television series' Holby City and New Street Law alongside fellow Coronation Street alumni Chris Gascoyne and Chris Bisson. In 2006, Sanderson appeared in a touring production of The Vagina Monologues with Jerry Hall amongst others and an episode of Kay Mellor's Strictly Confidential.
A keen singer, and karaoke enthusiast, Sanderson has made several television appearances singing, such as ITV's Madonna Mania, Discomania, Abba Mania 2 and Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes, where her impression of LeAnn Rimes, singing the theme from the film Coyote Ugly, Can't Fight the Moonlight earned her the winner's spot. She has also appeared on The X Factor: Battle of the Stars in the solo 16–24 category, mentored by Sharon Osbourne where she was eliminated fifth. At the time, though, Sanderson was suffering from tonsillitis and was straining her voice to sing.
For 2006 and 2007, she was signed by sports fashion footwear brand KangaROOS for their new print advertising campaign.
thumb|Sanderson in 2007
In June 2007, it was reported that Sanderson would make a brief return to Coronation Street in autumn 2007, when her character, Candice Stowe, turns up during the build up to Sarah Platt's (Tina O'Brien) wedding. However these reports were later dismissed by Sanderson during an appearance on ITV's Loose Women.
She appeared in the "Tuareg Productions" play Living Under One Roof at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham from 26–30 June 2007.
Sanderson appeared in the second series of All Star Family Fortunes which aired on 25 December 2007. She made a second appearance on the first edition of the quiz's fourth series, on 20 September 2009, as part of a team representing Heartbeat.
In 2008, she joined the cast of the ITV1 series, Heartbeat, set in the 1960s, to play the part of Dawn Bellamy, PC Phil Bellamy's niece. She plays the part of Audrey in the horror film Boogeyman 3 released in 2009. She plays the character Gee Gee, a dance teacher, in the 2008 film Clubbed, an underworld drama set in the early 1980s.
Sanderson featured in the 2010 UK tour of The Vagina Monologues. Sanderson's first episode was aired on 5 November 2012.
In December 2012, Sanderson appeared in pantomime as Peter Pan at the Gracie Fields Theatre in Rochdale.
In late 2013, Sanderson, along with her Hollyoaks co-star and on-screen boyfriend Jeremy Sheffield, appeared in character as their Hollyoaks characters Maxine and Patrick in a series of government "This is Abuse" adverts, highlighting the issues of domestic violence.
For her portrayal of Maxine, Sanderson received nominations for the "Best Actress" award at the British Soap Awards 2014 and 2015. She was also nominated for "Beat Serial Performance" at the National Television Awards 2015. Sanderson dated her former Coronation Street co-star Danny Young from 2005 to February 2009. Since January 2022, Sanderson has been in a relationship with former Hollyoaks and Emmerdale actor, Anthony Quinlan. On Christmas Eve 2025, she announced that she is expecting her first baby with Quinlan in 2026.
Sanderson gave birth to her son in April 2026.
In 2023, Sanderson pursued a failed civil action against Mirror Group Newspapers in the High Court alleging phone hacking. Despite evidence showing that she had been illegally targeted by the publisher, the judge found her claim was made out of time, beyond the six year statute limit.
Filmography
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Film
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Refs.
|-
|rowspan=2|2008
|Clubbed
| Gee Gee
|
|-
| 2008–2009
|Heartbeat
| Dawn Bellamy
| Main cast, 30 episodes
|
|-
| Crime Stories
| Chelsea Lewis
| 1 episode
|
|-
| 2012–2025
| Hollyoaks
| Maxine Minniver
| Series regular, 500+ episodes
|
|-
| 2005
| The British Soap Awards
| Sexiest Female
| Coronation Street
|
| align="center" |
|-
| 2014
| The British Soap Awards
| Best Actress
| Hollyoaks
|
| align="center" |
|-
| 2014
| TV Choice Awards
| Best Soap Actress
| Hollyoaks
|
| align="center" |
|-
| 2014
| Inside Soap Awards
| Best Actress
| Hollyoaks
|
| align="center" |
|-
| 2014
| Digital Spy Reader Awards
| Best Female Soap Actor
| Hollyoaks
|
| align="center" |
|-
| 2015
| 20th National Television Awards
| Serial Drama Performance
| Hollyoaks
|
| align="center" |
|-
| 2015
| The British Soap Awards
| Best Actress
| Hollyoaks
|
| align="center" |
|-
| 2015
| TV Choice Awards
| Best Soap Actress
| Hollyoaks
|
| align="center" |
|-
| 2015
| Inside Soap Awards
| Best Actress
| Hollyoaks
|
| align="center" |
|-
| 2015
| RTS North West Awards
| Best Performance in a Continuing Drama
| Hollyoaks
|
| align="center" |
|-
| 2016
| The British Soap Awards
| Best Actress
| Hollyoaks
|
| align="center" |
|-
| 2023
| 2023 British Soap Awards
| Best Dramatic Performance
| Hollyoaks
|
| align="center" |
|-
| 2023
| National Television Awards
| Serial Drama Performance
| Hollyoaks
|
| align="center" |
|-
| 2023
| Inside Soap Awards
| Best Actress
| Hollyoaks
|
| align="center" |
|-
| 2023
| TVTimes Awards
| Favourite Soap Actor
|
| align="center" |
|}