Childhood & Early Life
Nikki DeLoach was born Ashlee Nicole DeLoach, on September 9, 1979, in Waycross, Georgia, US, to Terri and David DeLoach. Her father owned a wood products company. Her mother was the superintendent of the ‘Pierce County School.’
Nikki had two younger siblings: a sister named LeAnne and a brother named Brett. Her brother is a baseball player and played for the ‘University of Georgia.’ The family grew up on a farm.
Ever since she was a kid, Nikki had a keen interest in the entertainment industry. She had been performing in front of crowds since she was in pre-school. Her first performance was at the ‘Pierce County High School’ in Georgia, where her mother worked as a superintendent.
Following this stint, Nikki became hugely active in the modeling world. She participated in many beauty pageants and ended up winning many of them. Some such contests were at the state and city levels. She also found an agent who helped her secure many print ads and TV commercials.
In her pre-teen years, she moved to New York to earn more acting/modeling jobs. However, she soon moved back to Georgia and continued modeling there.
In 1991, she joined ‘Clovers & Company,’ a local performing arts group in Georgia. She trained in acting and kept looking for film and TV roles.
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Career
In 1993, she began her on-screen career as part of the cast of the highly famous and long-running TV show named ‘All-New Mickey Mouse Club,’ which aired on the ‘Disney Channel’ in the early 1990s. It was a huge break for 14-year-old Nikki. Britney Spears and Ryan Gosling have been cast members of the same show.
However, the show was canceled in 1994. Following this, Nikki returned to Georgia and continued her high-school education. Following her graduation, she moved to Los Angeles, California, with her grandmother and auditioned for TV and film roles.
In 1995, she appeared as ‘Tracy,’ one of the main characters in the sitcom ‘Misery Loves Company.’ The sitcom was a commercial and critical debacle. It was canceled only after eight episodes.
The following year, she appeared in a small role in the TV film titled ‘Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story’ and a guest role in the series titled ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ (1997).
In 1997, she got a huge break when she bagged the supporting role of ‘Kate’ in the crime drama ‘Traveller.’ The film starred Mark Wahlberg in the lead role and was praised by critics. The film, however, failed to attain commercial success.
She took a long break to focus on her studies and made her comeback in the early 2000s, appearing in the comedy ‘Longshot.’ She played ‘Innosense’ in the film. It was a huge critical and commercial failure.
In 2004, she made her TV comeback, playing one of the main roles in the soap opera ‘North Shore.’ The soap opera featured her as ‘MJ Bevans’ and ran for a season, spanning 21 episodes. Its poor critical reception and ratings had the makers cancel it.
In 2006, Nikki appeared in the supporting role of ‘Sunny van Hattem’ in the series titled ‘Windfall.’ The serial ran for a season, spanning 13 episodes, after which it was canceled.
Nikki’s film career was also moving at a disappointing pace. Throughout the 2000s, she was seen playing supporting and small roles in films such as ‘Flying Lessons,’ ‘The River Why,’ ‘The Trial,’ and ‘Love & Other Drugs.’
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In 2011, however, she earned a leading role in the comedy film ‘Hollywoo.’ The film featured her as ‘Jennifer Marshall.’ It was loved by both critics and audiences.
In the 2010s and later, she appeared in guest roles in several series, such as ‘NCIS,’ ‘Criminal Minds,’ ‘The Exes,’ and ‘Major Crimes.’ Additionally, she appeared as ‘Brenda’ in 12 episodes of the soap opera ‘Days of Our Lives.’
In 2011, she appeared as ‘Lacey Hamilton,’ a leading character in the teen comedy–drama series ‘Awkward.’ The series received a good critical and commercial reception and ran for five seasons, covering 89 episodes.
In the more recent years, she has been seen in major and supporting roles in TV films such as ‘The Perfect Catch,’ ‘Reunited at Christmas,’ ‘Love to the Rescue,’ and ‘Love Takes Flight.’
She has also been seen in short films such as ‘Another Happy Anniversary’ and ‘Blood Moon.’ She has also turned producer with the film ‘Chained and Bound.’
She has contributed to the soundtracks of the series ‘Girls,’ ‘Lost Girl,’ ‘Home & Family.’
She worked as an executive producer for the 2018 TV movie ‘Reunited at Christmas.’
Family & Personal Life
Nikki DeLoach dated singer and songwriter JC Chasez for a long time during her early years in the industry. However, in September 2009, she married Ryan Goodell, a member of the boyband ‘Take 5.’ In 2013, Nikki announced her pregnancy. She gave birth to a son the same year. Her second son was born in 2017.
Although she had started working in her teenage years, she also earned degrees in English and psychology from the ‘University of Maryland.’
She currently attends online sociology classes offered by the ‘University of California, Los Angeles’ (UCLA).
