Actor NIGEL ADAMS’s charges dropped after he was arrest over assault against his long-term partner

Monday, July 7, 2025 - Rivals actor Nigel Adams has said he hopes he can return to filming the Disney Plus show after charges which he was arrested on set for have been dropped.

The 45-year-old actor was detained by Avon and Somerset Police officers at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire last month while filming the Jilly Cooper adaptation.

The extra had been shooting a polo scene and was reportedly led away in cuffs by six police officers while he was still in costume.

Adams was later charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm against his long-term partner Louise Payne in an incident on March 31 this year.

The supporting actor, who has also appeared in Doctor Who and Casualty, pleaded not guilty at Bristol Crown Court on Monday morning (July 7).

The prosecutor Christine Hart said that Louise Payne, who attended the hearing, had ‘made it clear she didn’t wish to proceed with the case’.

Adams and Payne spoke outside the court and told the PA news agency they were grateful the case had been dropped.

Describing his arrest, Adams said: ‘They turned up on set and nicked me like I was a wanted man on the run.

‘Now I can get back with my agent and get back on Rivals, hopefully. I still have the costume.’

He added: ‘I’m grateful everything has been sorted. We just want to get on with our lives.’

Adams and Payne have been engaged for seven years and are now looking forward to getting married.

Payne said: ‘I didn’t want to press charges from the beginning. I had to come to court to say I didn’t want to go ahead with it. I’m happy it’s all sorted.’

In a statement, Rivals production company Happy Prince said: ‘On the 4th June, the police visited the set regarding an ­unrelated matter involving a supporting artist.

‘Production co-operated with the police. We do not have any further information as it is not connected to Rivals or to our production.’