After years of friendship, SOAP star Anthony Quinlan has spoken out for the first time about falling in love with Hollyoaks actress Nikki Sanderson. 

The actor, who has appeared in Emmerdale and Hollyoaks, began dating Nikki, 38, last year and claims they are “really, really happy.”

In 2018, Anthony famously dated Strictly professional Dianne Buswell before she began seeing her now-boyfriend Joe Sugg, who was her celeb partner on the show.

Anthony has kept his love life a closely guarded secret since then – until now.

Anthony acknowledged rumors that he’s been dating Nikki, 38, in an exclusive interview with The Sun, saying: “I’ve always had a thing for her. Isn’t she stunning?”

Despite this, the two had been friends for a long time before anything happened  between them.