Her early storylines in the show included her arrival and helping Harry get revenge on those behind his prison sentence, attempting rebuild bridges with her family and get back together with Teddy, her past fling with Zack Hudson (James Farrar), and gaining ownership of Walford's wine bar.

The character's focus shifted to her attempts to win back Teddy and break him up with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) due to their growing relationship.

Nicola quickly provides Harry with a false alibi, getting him released, but tensions escalate as Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian), her estranged ex-husband, reveals that she had lied about being abroad and was actually in prison for injecting unlicensed filler and stealing from him.

This revelation turns their son Barney (Lewis Bridgeman) against her, and as she leaves, Nicola tells Harry that Penny played a role in his arrest.

While plotting revenge against Penny, Nicola encounters Zack Hudson (James Farrar), a former fling, and they agree to keep their past relationship secret from Teddy.

She notices Jack's struggles with rekindling his relationship with ex-wife Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and has sex with him after flirting.

[4] Doddington considered herself lucky to be cast as a member of an extension to the soap's Mitchell family, as she enjoyed the company of her fellow actors.

[1] Spoilers teasing her debut said that she would create "a stir",[8] and take quick dislikes to Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) for flirting with Teddy, as well as Jack (Maslen) and Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) for their respective roles in Harry's arrest.

[6] Doddington detailed that a four-circle ring worn by Nicola represents her affinity for her family, and added that wearing it helped her get into character.

[5] Radio Times writer Helen Daly called the character a "fiery bombshell"[15] and was surprised by Nicola's tendency to be a "troublemaker", noting that she had many "tricks up her sleeve".

[6] Doddington explained in an interview that Nicola was "bitter" about Teddy no longer returning her feelings, calling him "the love of her life" due to their long history.

[13] After the show revealed that Nicola had gained ownership of the soap's wine bar following an agreement with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden),[2] she decided to name it 'Harry's Barn' as a nod to her sons.

When the day to open the bar came around, Doddington revealed Nicola was slightly nervous, as she wanted to prove herself to Teddy to show her independence.

[15] Her colleague, James Hibbs, agreed, writing: "Albert Square has seen a dramatic entrance of a fiery newcomer, as Teddy Mitchell's ex-wife made a big arrival in EastEnders".

[22] She continued by praising Doddington's casting and called Nicola "the shot in the arm the extended Mitchell clan had been needing".

[5] Nicola's attempted plan to push Phil into relapse as a method of driving Sharon closer to him than Teddy was called "evil" by Erin Zammitt of Digital Spy.

[24] Colleague Denby praised a "glorious tribute" to the former character Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor) through a line delivered by Nicola.