Corrie beauty dumps lover just two months after saying she'll marry him

HEART-BREAKER Nikki Sanderson, who plays bitchy Corrie crimper Candice, has devastated her boyfriend by dumping him—two months after saying she'd marry him.

Nikki, 20, ended her four-year relationship with Jamie Meakin, 25, last week, telling him: "I want to be alone."

She told her best pal Tina O'Brien, who plays Sarah Platt in the soap: "I love Jamie to death but I need to be on my own. It's time to have some fun."

Nikki agonised for three weeks over how to break the news to shop worker Jamie. But now it's over and he has moved out of the £180,000 house they bought in Bury, Manchester, a year ago and the house is up for sale.

As recently as September, Nikki was talking about marrying Jamie.

She said then: "I have stayed with Jamie through my whole rise to fame and he is very important to me to keep my feet on the ground. I would never dump him for a showbiz boyfriend.

"We have been together for three years and we are very, very happy.

"We'd love to get married but we're not in a rush. We are both so young. We are brilliant together. We know everything about each other and he's also my best mate."

But Nikki then realised the relationship wasn't working and she wanted to be single again.

Our source said: "Nikki's 20 and a successful actress. Settling down is just not an option for her right now. Her career is taking off and she feels it's time to stand on her own two feet.

Hints

"Nikki has been with Jamie since she was a teenager and thinks the world of him but she wants time alone. She was young when they met so she hasn't had a chance to live a bit on her own.

"For weeks, she's been dropping hints to Jamie about calling it a day but she only came out with it last week.

"Jamie is gutted. It was entirely her decision to end it. Jamie had no idea anything was wrong until the last few weeks. He thought he'd be with Nikki for life.

"She does love him but needs to be on her own. She reckons there's a big wide world out there and she wants to explore. The idea of being with Jamie for ever scared her to death."

Jamie hasn't been seen at the couple's plush three-bedroom home all week and was recently pictured walking in with a suitcase to pack his belongings.

Nikki—whose character is dating Warren Baldwin—hasn't been seen at home since last weekend and is believed to be staying with pals.

She has turned to pal Tina for support during the break-up.

Our source said: "Tina and Nikki have seen a lot of each other since the break-up. They've been mates for years and Tina is a good listener when Nikki needs her.

"She was with Jamie a long time and suddenly becoming single is taking some getting used to. She's coping very well though and has been telling her co-stars that she's looking forward to her single life.

"Someone as pretty as Nikki won't go short of male attention. Men will be queuing up to ask her out.

"Both Jamie and Nikki are really sad about it. They are going to stay best mates. They are both incredibly upset. There have been lots of tears."

Fit

Nikki met Jamie on a night out in Manchester shortly after she had joined Coronation Street five years ago.

He had spotted her once before in her home town of Bury, but hesitated to ask her out in case she thought he only fancied her because she was on TV.

When he saw her again in Manchester, Nikki noticed him and sent a friend over with her phone number. She confessed at the time: "The first time I saw Jamie I thought, ‘You are kinda fit'. He is exactly my type. I fancied everything about him.

"When we got talking I realised he was a nice, genuine lad. One thing I can't stand is stuck-up, phoney people. I knew he didn't just fancy me because I was on telly."

During their relationship Jamie showered Nikki with expensive presents, including a diamond-studded Gucci watch for her 18th birthday. She bought him a swanky £21,000 red MG TF soft top car in April to celebrate their four-year anniversary.

A Coronation Street spokeswoman said: "Sadly, Nikki and Jamie have split up. No third party is involved."