Nicky Whelan (born 10 May 1981) is an Australian actress and model known for her role as

Pepper Steiger Heidi "Pepper" Steiger is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by Nicky Whelan. The character was introduced into the serial as part of a group of four characters branded as "20 somethings". She made her deb ...

in the Australian soap opera ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...

''.

Career

Before ''Neighbours'', Whelan hosted a number of shows, including ''

Coxy's Big Break ''Coxy's Big Break'' was a daily travel show which premiered in 2004. It aired across Victoria at on Seven Melbourne and Prime. It had previously been screened nationally on Seven's HD channel, and was sold overseas. History Hosted by G ...

'' (

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

), ''Beyond the Boundary'' (

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

), and ''Melbourne Woman'' (Seven Network), and played the fictional celebrity "Chrissie Grant" on ''Russell Coight's Celebrity Challenge'', a spin-off of ''

All Aussie Adventures ''All Aussie Adventures'', also known as ''Russell Coight's All Aussie Adventures'', is an Australian mockumentary television series that parodies the travel-adventure genre. Comedian Glenn Robbins plays Russell Coight, a survival and wildlife ...

''. Whelan is also known as the face of the rural Victorian city,

Shepparton Shepparton () ( Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, the estimated population of Shepparton, ...

, and she hosted the night racing at Moonee Valley for eight years. Whelan has also posed for a number of Australian magazines, including ''

FHM ''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...

'' (in October 2007), ''

Ralph Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

'' (in November 2005) and ''

Inside Sport ''Inside Sport'' is an Australian sport magazine published by nextmedia. It began publication in 1991. ''Inside Sport'' largely comprises articles by freelance journalists, covering a wide array of sports. It focuses on sporting content, spor ...

''. In November 2007, Whelan made a special appearance in

Harrow, London Harrow () is a large town in Greater London, England, and serves as the principal settlement of the London Borough of Harrow. Lying about north-west of Charing Cross and south of Watford, the entire town including its localities had a popul ...

, to promote sustainable transport and initiatives that benefit the environment. She also shot some photos for Harrow's 'It's Up to All of Us' campaign. At the event, she confirmed that after ''Neighbours'', she had been in discussions over feature films. Whelan was in the movie '' Hollywood and Wine'' in Los Angeles with

David Spade David Wayne Spade (born July 22, 1964) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, television host, and writer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' in the 1990s, and he later began an acting career in both film and television. He also s ...

. Whelan appeared in the final season of ''

Scrubs Scrub(s) may refer to: * Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland * Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff * ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program * Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," o ...

'' as Maya, an Australian medical-school student. In November 2010, Whelan appeared in a viral advertisement for Rökk Vodka alongside

The Lonely Island The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio, formed by Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone in Berkeley, California, in 2001. They have written for and starred in the American TV program ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). The three ...

. Whelan also played the role of Leigh in the 2011 film ''

Hall Pass ''Hall Pass'' is a 2011 American comedy film produced and directed by the Farrelly brothers and co-written by them along with Pete Jones, the writer/director of ''Stolen Summer''. It stars Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis. Rick and Fred, two hus ...

'', which co-starred

Owen Wilson Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an American actor. He has had a long association with filmmaker Wes Anderson with whom he shared writing and acting credits for '' Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), and ''The Royal ...

Jason Sudeikis Daniel Jason Sudeikis ( ; born September 18, 1975) is an American actor, comedian, producer, and writer. In the 1990s, he began his career in improv comedy and performed with ComedySportz, iO Chicago (Improv Olympic), and The Second City. In 200 ...

Jenna Fischer Regina Marie "Jenna" Fischer (born March 7, 1974) is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Pam Beesly on the NBC sitcom ''The Office'' (2005–2013), for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Suppor ...

, and

Christina Applegate Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) is an American actress. As a child actress, she gained recognition for starring as Kelly Bundy in the Fox sitcom '' Married... with Children'' (1987–1997). Applegate established a successful film an ...

. In October 2011, Whelan guest-starred as an attractive telemarketing temp in the episode "Temp-Tress" of the American sitcom ''

Workaholics ''Workaholics'' is an American sitcom created and predominantly written by Blake Anderson, Adam DeVine, Anders Holm, and Kyle Newacheck, all of whom star in the series. ''Workaholics'' originally ran on Comedy Central from April 6, 2011, to Marc ...

'', and appeared in the 2015 movie ''

The Wedding Ringer ''The Wedding Ringer'' is a 2015 American buddy romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Jeremy Garelick. It stars Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, and Kaley Cuoco. The film was produced by Adam Fields, Will Packer Productions and Miramax, distribu ...

'' starring

Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums. After winning se ...

. Whelan is currently starring in betting advertisements on Australian television for

BetEasy BetEasy (formerly known as CrownBet and BetEzy) was an Australian corporate bookmaker offering online sports and racing betting platforms. BetEasy is licensed in the Northern Territory and owned by The Stars Group. BetEasy was the official wager ...

Personal life

Whelan was born in

Cranbourne, Victoria, Australia Cranbourne () is a city in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 43 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Casey local government area. Cranbourne recorded a population of 21,281 at the 2021 census ...

. She is the granddaughter of

Marcus Whelan Marcus Joseph Whelan (27 June 1914 – 31 August 1973) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of John Whelan and Ellen Margaret Whelan, née Parker, he was born in ...

, who played in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

in the 1930s and '40s. In 2016, Whelan became engaged to American football player

Kerry Rhodes Kerry Rhodes (born August 2, 1982) is an American actor and former American football safety in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft, and most recently played for the Arizona C ...

. Whelan and Rhodes were married in Los Angeles on 15 April 2017, but divorced the same year in November. In her spare time, Whelan also trains boxing as well as

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whelan, Nicky 1981 births Australian female models Australian soap opera actresses Australian television presenters Australian expatriate actresses in the United States Living people Actresses from Victoria (Australia) 21st-century Australian actresses Australian film actresses Australian women television presenters People from Cranbourne, Victoria