Nikki Spencer played by Melissa Tkautz

Episodes 160 - 281 & 370 - 404

When Nikki Spencer arrived in Westside she was dressed in leather and full of attitude. Abandoned by her mother and left with her Auntie Martha, Nikki had a major chip on her shoulder and who could blame her? What started as a family trip resulted in Nikki and her younger brother Zac being left by their mother Heather, and they didn’t realise it until days had passed and their passports went sent in the post.

Settling in to Westside wasn’t easy for Nikki. Desperate to be popular she made a play for peoples boyfriends and played practical jokes on the most naive victims. Neither of her actions raised a laugh and Nikki found it hard to make friends. She clashed with George and was desperate to secure she and Zac a home away from his harsh rules. However Martha was on her side and soon Nikki’s tough exterior started to melt and she was exposed for the scared and lonely girl she really was. Even George saw admirable qualities in her.

Not willing to go back to school, Nikki started working at the surgery as Elly’s receptionist. However her lack of confidentiality and smoking habits caused concern and she took things a step too far when she diagnosed Max with Leprosy. Wanting to pay him back for talking to her like she was a child, Nikki took advantage of Elly’s absence from the surgery and made Max strip down to his underwear so she could make a correct diagnosis. When her scam was revealed Nikki was made to apologise to Max and the pair begun to carve out a very unlikely friendship. Nikki also become friends with Toni. Miles apart in personality the pair shared a common ground; living in Westside without their parents.

After settling into her new home and new job, Nikki rocked the boat when she started to date CJ. They met on the streets and soon became an item, however faced with disapproval from George and interference from CJ’s ex girlfriend Janine things were not easy. Janine made threats to Nikki and promised to hurt those closest to her if she continued to see CJ. Unnerved, Nikki continued and received a shock when Zac was prosecuted for shoplifting – a scam set up by Janine. Teaming up with Max and CJ, Nikki and Zac made sure that Janine was made responsible for her actions and when she realised the game was up she left the pair in peace.

George wasn’t as easy to please and Nikki and CJ tried everything to earn his approval. When he didn’t give it, they decided they would have to try a different approach and Nikki announced to her happy Uncle that she was in fact dating Max. So with Max as an alibi, Nikki and CJ continued their relationship in peace. Well until the next crisis came alone and Nikki became involved in a love square, with both she and Toni fighting it out over Max and CJ! Neither girl could decide whom they wanted and neither guy could make a choice. Much game playing was involved and in the end Nikki saw a spark between Toni and CJ and realised she was better off alone.

Her friendship with Max continued to grow and she showed her true colours in his hour of need. Trying to help a young girl, Max was stabbed with a needle and faced a long wait to find out whether or not he had contracted the HIV virus. With the needle lost, all Max’s friends could was support him and it was Nikki who proved the strongest support of all. She helped Max face his fears and allowed him to speak of his darkest thoughts. They learned about each other’s childhoods and struck up an unbreakable bond. Desperate to bring Max’s suffering to an end, Nikki and Toni embark on a mission to find the needle he was stabbed with, in order to find out whether the blood is infected or not. Their quick thinking means that they find the needle before it is destroyed and after tests Max is given the all clear. The drama allows Max to see a side of Nikki he hasn’t seen before and he asks her out on a date. No one is more surprised than Nikki when she and Max actually hit it off and begin dating each other.

Their relationship runs pretty smoothly and with her job at the medical centre working well too, things seem to be going to plan for Nikki. However all of that changes when her Mum returns and claims she is now ready to take Nikki and Zac home. Nikki can’t turn down the chance to be a family with her Mum and Brother in New Zealand, and so she makes the difficult decision to leave Westside and Max. But when it comes to boarding the plane, Nikki can’t go ahead with the move and she returns to Westside and pledges her future to Max.

A few weeks on and spending time with Alice and baby Amber gets Nikki thinking again – she misses her Mum and she misses Zac. So after a quick goodbye to Max, Nikki leaves Westside and heads to start a new life in New Zealand. Despite keeping in touch and trying to maintain a long distance relationship, things don’t work out for Nikki and Max and they call things a day. But as soon as they do so Nikki begins to feel lonely and realises how much she misses Westside. She writes to Max and calls him and is disheartened when she gets no response. Unbeknown to her, Max’s new admirer Bonnie Tate had intercepted Nikki’s attempts at contact. When Max finds out that Nikki is unhappy he travels to New Zealand and convinces her to come back to Westside. Nikki is overjoyed at his commitment and she turns up on George and Martha’s doorstep announcing that she’s home. However not only has Bonnie moved in on Nikki’s man, she’s moved into her room too and has her job at the surgery. The way Nikki views it is that Bonnie has taken over her life! Rivalry ensues and the girls go head to head for ownership of the bedroom, job and of course Max!

The bickering comes to an end when Bonnie is injured in a car accident caused by Max. Nikki sees that there is feeling between the pair and she tells Max that he should move on from her and be happy. Nikki confides in Jo-Jo that it is hard for her to see Max so devoted to someone else, but she says that despite loving Max she knows his heart lies elsewhere. When E Street ends Nikki has come full circle; she is no longer the teenager that causes havoc but the young woman who helps repair the havoc others wreak.