Heartbeat: Why did Nick Berry leave – and where is he now?

Many stars of Heartbeatenjoyed several years on the ITV police drama and became household names thanks to their time on the show. However, a number of the familiar faces left the show, one being Nick Berry, who was known as PC Nick Rowan for six years.

Nick had a special role on Heartbeat, as alongside playing PC Rowan, the singer also performed the opening theme tune, a cover version of the Buddy Holly song of the same name.

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Nick was already an established face when he joined Heartbeat, with the star having played the popular Simon Wicks on BBC soap opera EastEnders for five years.

So why did he choose to exit the show? And where is he now? Here's what we know…

Heartbeat

Nick joined the police drama at the very beginning and left in 1998, meaning he was part of the Heartbeat family for six years before waving goodbye to the show. After joining Aidensfield police from London, Nick's character, PC Nick Rowan (later Sergeant Rowan), initially received hostility from his fellow staff but then eventually became a much-loved member of the community.

PC Nick was married to Dr Kate Rowan, and the two had a daughter named Sarah but sadly his wife lost her battle with leukaemia. The officer then married Jo, a school teacher, and was promoted to sergeant, before deciding to leave Aidensfield and join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Nick's departure formed the storyline to one-off special, Heartbeat: Changing Places.

Departure

Nick decided to leave Heartbeat to focus on his family life. He and he wife, actress Rachel Robertson, married in 1994 and welcomed their first child, a son, a year later named Louis. In 1998, the couple welcomed their second son, Finley, prompting the actor to leave the ITV show. Although a few years later, when his children were a little older, the actor did appear in short-lived series In Deep.

In 2011, Nick told the Daily Mail how being an actor got in the way of family time. "I chose to be a stay-at-home dad and have loved it," he explained. "I always said that when the boys were teenagers I could go back, but the longer you don't do something the harder it is to do it, and I haven't really missed it. While I'd never say never, I'm genuinely happy as I am."

Current life

The former actor continues to live a quiet life away from TV acting. His most recent role was in 2012 when he reprised his role as Simon Wicks for a one-off appearance for the funeral of his on-screen mother, Pat Butcher.

After that, he set up his own production company which he ran until 2019. He and his family live in Epping, Essex.