In 2011, King's character was raped by her boyfriend, Frank Foster. This storyline had a massive public impact and saw a high rise in reported rapes across the United Kingdom. King spoke of how there was an 800% increase in calls to support organisations after the storyline had aired, and that people had contacted her about their real-life experiences, some of whom she has kept in communication with. Her performance in the rape storyline led to a Best Actress award at the 2012 British Soap Awards.