Nate Cooper is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kyle Pryor.
Other relationships include Nate developing feelings for Hannah Wilson (Cassie Howarth) and later romancing Katarina Chapman (Pia Miller).
Their relationship was jeopardised by a false accusation of sexual assault made by Billie Ashford (Tessa de Josselin).
Nate's profile on the show's official website details a backstory of having to cope with a terminally ill mother, a poor financial situation while studying a medical degree.
He comes to work Northern Districts Hospital because he had longed "for the adrenalin rush a busy Emergency Department provides."
[8] Nate enters a relationship with Ricky Sharpe (Bonnie Sveen) who had recently separated from Darryl Braxton (Steve Peacocke) after he was sent to prison.
[9] The pairing was formed over many episodes as Nate supported Ricky through the aftermath of a bomb blast, a miscarriage and Brax's incarceration.
She explained that writers created a backstory in which Sophie was involved in a car accident and relied on pain killers in her recovery.
Pryor told Stephen Downie from TV Week that "it's a spur of the moment thing" as Nate too had been in denial.
Pryor told Colin Vickery of news.com.au that "it was a big challenge emotionally as well as technically, I felt a strong sense of responsibility in playing that (scenes involving mental instability and violence).
[23] Nate and Brax go in search of missing VJ Patterson (Matthew Little) who has been tied up by Tyson Lee (Ben Bennett).
To his horror Nate realises that on impact he has been impaled by a tree branch and is stuck in a remote area of the bush.
[26] Producer Lucy Addario told Stephen Downie from TV Week that Kat would slowly "let her walls down" with Nate and become close to him.
[27] In June 2015, it was announced that Nate would be involved in a controversial storyline in which Billie Ashford (Tessa de Josselin) accuses him of assault.
As Billie looks at Nate "adoringly", Stephen Downie of TV Week noted that she was developing a crush on the doctor.
[31] This attracts the attention of Chris Harrington (Johnny Ruffo), who rushes to Billie's aid and she accuses Nate of assaulting her.
However, Emerson then produced proof of a sexually explicit text message sent from Nate's phone to Billie the previous week.
When Chris discovers that Billie is behind an embarrassing poster designed to ruin Kat's career, he agrees to help.
[38] He thinks Kat needs him as much as Ricky does, which Pryor assessed as there being "a constant battle between his feelings and his obligations to the people close to him."
Pryor told Gavin Scott (TV Week) that Nate does not want to hurt Kat and will always care for her.
Sveen told an Inside Soap columnist that "Ricky really is falling for Nate" and wants to forget about Kyle's mistake.
"[41] Nate becomes emotional while attending Zac MacGuire (Charlie Clausen) and Leah Patterson-Baker's (Ada Nicodemou) wedding and proposes.
[44] In March 2016, Pryor told an Inside Soap reporter that he had tried his best to win viewers acceptance of Nate and Ricky's relationship.
Ali Cromarty (TV Week) reported that Ricky thinks Nate will resent her for not providing him with a biological child.
The storyline explore Nate's past coming back to haunt him as he is forced to face the man who abandoned him as a child.
Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy observed that "Nate's old and unspoken anger comes flooding out" as he bans Gavin from his life.
[53] Following the breakdown of his relationship with Tori Morgan (Penny McNamee), Nate decides to leave the Bay to take up a job with CareFlight.
[54] Pryor thanked the crew and fans of the show on his social media accounts after Nate's exit scenes were aired.
"[53] Russell Blackstock writing for The New Zealand Herald branded Nate and Ricky "Home and Away's hot couple".
[56] A Soap World writer praised Sophie's involvement with "Dr Sexy" Nate and how she kept him at the forefront of the show.