Hollyoaks star Stephanie Davis played Sinead O’Connor in the Channel 4 soap and has had her fair share of headline-hitting relationships – including a fling with Zayn Malik
Actress Stephanie Davis has been left completely heartbroken, again. The 32-year-old who found fame on Channel 4’s Hollyoaks confirmed over the weekend that her partner, Joe McKalroy, had dumped her – just months after she gave birth.
It came following weeks of speculation surrounding their romance after Stephanie had shared a Father’s Day message which didn’t include Joe, with whom she shares her young son, Samuel. Stephanie welcomed her son in January this year and told fans she couldn’t process the news.
While Stephanie is known for her dramatic performances on screen, her off-screen love life has also frequently made headlines. From alleged infidelity in the Big Brother House to liaisons with co-stars and a romance with a boy band superstar, here’s a full rundown of Stephanie’s tumultuous love life.
Joe McKalroy
Stpanie found love in 2022 and appeared happily in love with Yorkshire lad Joe, whom she had called the “love of her life”. But following weeks of speculation, she confirmed on Sunday that she and Joe had split.
In an Instagram Stories post, she wrote: “Never in a million years did I think I’d be writing this. I’ve been left with no choice but to address the rumours.” She continued: “This has come as a complete shock and has been an incredibly painful and unexpected time. Just four months after having a baby – one of the most vulnerable and emotional times in a woman’s life – I’ve found myself facing this chapter on my own.”
Hinting at her past troubled romance with reality star Jeremy McConnell, with whom she shared a seven-year-old son, she went on: “After everything I’ve been through in the past, I truly believed I’d finally found my happiness – something secure and lasting. But that, heartbreakingly, hasn’t been the case.”
Stephanie went on to write: “I’m grateful for the years we had because without us, I wouldn’t have my Samuel. Who will always be my priority.” And she concluded: “Right now, I’m focusing on healing, protecting my peace, and doing the best I can – being there for my two beautiful boys. Thank you to those who’ve reached out – your kindness has meant more than I can say. Stephanie X.”
Stephanie gave birth to young Samuel earlier this year and revealed to fans that she almost lost her son during “the worst pregnancy.”
Oliver Tasker
Before finding love with her now ex-partner Joe, Stephanie was in a six-month relationship with bike shop worker Oliver. Oliver works as a buyer for Formby Cycles in Liverpool – a biking superstore owned by his parents.
He began dating Stephanie at the start of summer 2021, but the couple called it quits in September that year, mere weeks after she disclosed a heartbreaking miscarriage.
A source mentioned at the time that ‘issues with trust’ played a part, stating: “They had a great six months together, but Steph respects herself too much to feel like she should stay in a relationship that isn’t working.”
Owen Warner
Before her fling with Oliver, Stephanie was linked to Hollyoaks co-star Owen Warner, famous for his role as Romeo Nightingale on the hit Channel 4 soap. The former flames shared nine months together, moved in, and were even believed to be engaged at one point.
However, the 23-year-old Owen allegedly confided to friends that he felt ‘suffocated’ by the relationship, which single mum Stephanie was reportedly pushing forward at ‘100 miles an hour’. Steph previously disclosed that their bond had grown so intense that her son Caben, whom she had with ex-partner Jeremy McConnell, started calling Owen “daddy”.
In September 2019, the Mirror exclusively revealed that Stephanie and Owen had parted ways. One insider revealed to the Mirror back then that Stephanie went ballistic after he swapped out his profile images on social media for ones sans her and blocked her.
The insider further divulged: “It was all a bit too much for him, and him being the age he is, found it very difficult to breathe. It was all very suffocating.”
Owen has since been romantically involved with Love Island’s Lana Jenkins and is now with Jemma Donovan, daughter of Jason Donovan, who made her Hollyoaks debut earlier this year.
Jacob Gill
Stephanie’s name was linked to ‘party animal’ Jacob Gill in 2017, sparking rumours that the two were even engaged. However, a mate later spoke to the Mirror, claiming the romance was merely a ‘fauxmance’ concocted to get back at Stephanie’s prior flame Jeremy McConnell.
“This is all for Jeremy’s benefit. All the posts that started appearing from her regarding Caben and his birthday are also to get a reaction from him,” they divulged. The fling between the couple reportedly fizzled out by January 2018.
Jeremy McConnell
Stephanie had an incredibly tough time with her ex, Jeremy McConnell. Their love story unfolded in the full glare of the public eye, beginning on the Celebrity Big Brother set, where the flames of their on-again-off-again romance were first ignited, leaving fans reeling until their explosive last row.
Even before they took their relationship public post-CBB, Jeremy faced cheating allegations the night prior to the CBB finale, despite her still being inside the house, which he vehemently refuted. Their time together was plagued with further infidelity whispers, and by just two months in, there were signs the relationship had turned violent.
Allegations flew that during a holiday to Cape Verde, where it’s believed their son Caben was conceived in April 2016, they wrecked a hotel room together. Upon learning she was expecting, Stephanie said Jeremy abandoned her, refusing her calls and persisting in his denial of the child’s paternity right up until Caben arrived in January 2017.
It was only after a DNA test confirmed his paternity that he accepted responsibility, though it remains uncertain whether he has contact with Caben following his conviction for assaulting Stephanie in March 2016, leaving her bruised and battered.
A year later, Jeremy was found guilty of a horrific attack on Stephanie at her Liverpool home while she cradled their eight-week-old son. Stephanie disclosed that the stress had caused her to miscarry what would have been their second child together.
In November 2019, Jeremy became a father again when his girlfriend Katie McCreath gave birth to their daughter, Storm.
Sam Reece
Before entering the Big Brother house in 2016, Stephanie was dating Manchester model Sam Reece. Despite her claims of intending to marry Sam, she cheated on him on national television by starting a relationship with Jeremy McConnell.
Sam watched from outside as Steph and Jez’s relationship deepened – they are even rumoured to have been intimate in the reality show house. Since then, Sam has appeared on Ex On The Beach and landed a role in Emmerdale.
Zayn Malik
Stephanie has also been linked to former One Direction member Zayn Malik, revealing that she ended things with him because he was seeing Perrie Edwards.
She recounted their past, saying: “We dated for five months in 2011, just before he started seeing Perrie. We actually broke up because I found out he had been meeting up with Perrie.
“It was just one of those things. Zayn is a good lad really, I don’t have anything bad to say about him.” Zayn’s relationship with Perrie eventually ended, and he later became involved with American model Gigi Hadid. The couple welcomed their daughter Khai four years ago but have since parted ways.
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