A look back at Kym Marsh and her checkered romantic history

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As most of us well know, the path of true love never does run smoothly. 

Just ask Kym Marsh, who at 48 has finally found her soulmate in Samuel Thomas, a hitherto unknown actor who, at 29, is 19-years her junior and the same age as her eldest child. 

Confirming the relationship on Sunday evening, Kym shared a photo of herself and Samuel with the accompanying caption: ‘Met the most amazing man ever! Sometimes the most unexpected things happen at the most unexpected times. @samuelthomasuk I love you.’ 

Adding credence to the idea of love being found in the unlikeliest places, Kym fell for her new man while treading the boards as evil Cruella de Ville in a touring production of 101 Dalmatians. 

But if the actress has previously failed to find the man of her dreams, it’s not for the want of trying, with her third marriage coming to an abrupt end just 13-months ago. 

It was the latest in a series of high-profile heartbreaks for the mother-of-three, whose checkered romantic history encompasses three decades and numerous failed relationships. 

So who else has featured on her path to true love?

MailOnline has all the answers.  

1. DAVID CUNLIFFE (1994-1999)

Long before she became a household name, aspiring actress and singer Kym met Dave, a local builder, during a night out at a karaoke pub in her hometown of Garswood, Lancashire. 

The couple soon engaged and would go on to welcome two children, David, 29, and Emilie, 27, before separating in 1999. 

Kym later recalled struggling to make ends meet as a single mother while living on ‘£80 week in rented accommodation.’ 

‘They were well-clothed and fed, although they didn’t have any luxuries,’ she told Prima magazine of David and Emilie’s upbringing. 

‘Sometimes it was tricky getting money together for the week. When Emilie was a baby, my sister, Tracey, and I would sometimes go halves on a bag of nappies.’

She added: ‘I’d also take the kids to mum’s if we didn’t have enough money to top up the electric meter.

‘Times were difficult, but we managed, and I made it work.’

2.  JACK RYDER (2001-2009)

Romance blossomed over tea and biscuits after Kym met Jack in the BBC canteen. 

Then a member of doomed pop group Hear’Say, Kym was making an appearance on Top Of The Pops when she crossed paths with Jack, a household name thanks to his role as Jamie Mitchell in EastEnders. 

The couple married at St. Albans parish church, Hertford, in August 2002 and subsequently sold the pictures to OK! magazine for a reported £300,000. 

But seven years later it was all over, with Jack filing for divorce on the grounds of adultery following her fling with fellow actor Jamie Lomas.  

In Marsh 2009 District Judge Lynn Roberts granted the EastEnders star a decree nisi on the grounds that his marriage had irretrievably broken down.

In court papers Jack said he first found out about her adultery in July 2008. He wrote that she ‘has admitted that she has committed adultery, which is ongoing’.

Kym, in reply to a question asking if she admitted the adultery alleged, said simply: ‘Yes.’

When asked if she objected to paying costs even though she did not defend the petition, she replied: ‘No, we have agreed that I will make a contribution of £673.50p towards the respondent’s costs (inclusive of VAT and disbursements).’

3. JAMIE LOMAS (2009-2014) 

Friends initially feared Kym had rushed into the relationship with Jamie Lomas when they started dating just four months after she split from husband Jack Ryder.

The pair first met on a train to the TV Quick Awards in London in 2007 but got together in July 2008 – a year before her divorce from Jack.

They had been together less than two months when Kym fell pregnant with their child.

However, tragically their son Archie Jay died moments after being born 18-weeks early on February 11.

Kym later admitted to feeling ‘alone and isolated’ following the loss. 

She told OK!: ‘Initially I didn’t want to talk about it at all. Part of me felt if I didn’t talk about it, then it wasn’t real. But talking about Archie has helped me and that’s why I try to encourage people to talk as much as possible.

‘There’s still a huge taboo around the subject because nobody wants to talk about a baby who has died – it makes people uncomfortable. It can be a very lonely place. Certainly for me as a mother, I felt very alone and quite isolated.

‘But when we started speaking as a family and I realised that everyone else was suffering, that’s been key to bringing us all together. The more we talk, the more we see change, but there is always more to be done.’

The couple had happier news when they welcomed daughter Polly in March 2011. They wed in September 2012 but were divorced by 2014, with Kym said to be stunned by Jamie’s decision to break it off. 

A friend told Now magazine: ‘When she spoke about wedding bells last year, Kym really meant it – this relationship was for keeps.

‘They weren’t getting on, but she still loved him, so she stuck by him. But it was Jamie who split them up.

‘It’s best in the long run, but for the moment the wounds are very fresh for Kym.’

In June 2014 she told The Mirror: ‘It hasn’t made me bitter or made me rule out getting married again. 

‘You never know what the future holds, and one of the things I’ve learnt is to have no regrets and never say never.’

4. OLIVER MELLOR – 2013

In 2013, a year before Lomas ended their marriage, she had a five-month fling with Coronation Street co-star Oliver Mellor, who is now married to model Rhian Sugden. 

Oliver later claimed he dumped the actress because he knew she would never leave Lomas. 

‘Sadly at the time, I thought Kym would never leave Jamie so I decided it was time to get out,’ he told the Daily Mirror.

Oliver said he was unsure whether their clandestine relationship was the cause of Kym’s divorce or just the catalyst due to existing problems. But he added ‘…I’m glad Kym split from Jamie. He didn’t make her happy.’

The actor, who played Dr. Matt Carter on the soap, insisted the chemistry between them was ‘too strong to ignore’ after they shared scenes on Coronation Street in 2013.

‘We loved each other and we weren’t afraid to say it,’ he told the Sunday Mirror. ‘It wasn’t something we intended to happen, but we couldn’t stop our feelings.’

5. DAN HOOPER 2014-2015 

Kym began dating personal trainer Dan Hooper in April 2014, with the couple confirming their engagement by the December the same year.

The actress – by then a household name as pub landlady Michelle Connor in Coronation Street – reportedly asked the personal trainer to move into her Manchester home just five months into their relationship. 

‘They’re getting on brilliantly and really enjoying their time together,’ a source close to the star told the Mirror. ‘In the last couple of months things have become more serious between them.

‘Kym raised the prospect of him moving in with her and Dan made it clear he thinks it’s a great idea, so it’s happening soon. It’s a big step but they’re both ready for it.’ 

However the couple’s relationship was initially fraught with drama after Kym’s former friend Stephanie Waring claimed it began just six weeks after she had broken up from him.

‘I had to endure finding out that the father of my child had moved onto someone else, someone I considered to be a friend, only six weeks after we had separated,’ Stephanie tweeted in June.

The Hollyoaks star – who shares a daughter with Dan – later admitted she had buried the hatchet with Kym.

‘Kym and I are fine now – we have to be for the sake of our children,’ Stephanie told Closer magazine. ‘Life is too short to hold grudges and be bitter and I’m not that sort of person. I’m quite happy and positive.’

Kym eventually called off their engagement in May 2015, before revealed it was officially over.

‘I’m very sad to have to tell you that Dan Hooper and I have split up,’ she told OK! magazine. 

‘I was hoping things would sort themselves out but for one reason or another it doesn’t feel like we can fix things or get back on track so we’ve decided to go our separate ways.’

She added: ‘Dan’s a fantastic, lovely guy and I’ve never been happier than when things were working with us but sometimes things just don’t feel right no matter how much you want it to.’ 

6. SCOTT RATCLIFF (2019-2023)

Kym met her third husband Scott in 2019, before he asked for her hand in marriage in 2021 while ringing in her birthday.

The married the same year, however their split was announced in May 2023.