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Privacy NoticeHe was the fresh-faced cheeky chap who everyone loved, enthralling TV viewers with his old-fashioned swing-based style on the third series of The X Factor in 2006. Ray Quinn even nearly won the show, coming runner-up to singing sensation Leona Lewis. The Mersyside-born star went on to release a No 1 album, Doin’ It My Way – featuring songs including Ain’t That A Kick In The Head and My Way – but, after a 30-date UK tour, he was dropped by Simon Cowell’s Syco record label at the end of 2007. Undeterred, Ray took part in Dancing On Ice in 2009 and the All Star series in 2014, winning both shows with his incredible skating skills.
Ray went on to have a No 1 album
(Image: BPM)
Ge won both series of Dancing On Ice that he took part in
(Image: ITV)
And his fame didn’t end there – panto and musical theatre roles followed, and in 2018 Ray returned to his soap roots. Having previously played tormented Anthony Murray in Channel 4’s Brookside from 2000 to 2003, he then starred as Jonny Baxter in Hollyoaks, leaving a year later. But now 36 year old Ray is unrecognisable from the days when he sold out venues and people would stop him in the street. His signature Elvis style jet-black hair is no longer coiffed into a quiff, instead flowing freely down to his shoulders. His once-baby face carries a thick, black beard. And both arms and the backs of his hands are heavily tattooed.
Ray posed with his girlfriend Emily Fletcher as the pair celebrated her pregnancy
(Image: Instagram)
In his personal life, Ray got engaged to his girlfriend, dancer and teacher Emily Fletcher in 2020, and the couple announced the birth of their daughter, Summer Reign, in September 2022. Ashleigh also has a son from a previous relationship. He had previously married actress Emma Stephens in Barbados in 2012, but the couple split in February 2015, following the birth of their son, Harry. Sign up to OK!’s TV newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free
Ray looks so different now, compared to his days on The X Factor
(Image: rayquinn_uk/instagram)
A few weeks ago, Ray posted a video to Instagram where he was driving a supercar
And it seems Ray hasn’t forgotten his ‘normal’ roots – when his gigs were cancelled as the Coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020, he revealed he was working as a courier for the parcel delivery service Hermes, earning £11.40 an hour. A source told The Sun at the time: “Times are tough and no one can be snobby about work. Ray is a hard-grafting lad, and naturally loves being on the move, doing things and seeing people.” A year later, Ray then joined his brothers, Rob and Darren, working in the family carpet fitting business. Although his father sadly died from cancer in 2020, Ray told The Mirror: “Dad knew I was going to help Rob and encouraged me to do it – but laughed when I said I’d lifted my first tool. When I first started, I actually went to work in my dad’s old uniform. He’d Âalways said you can work your way out of anything; to keep your head up high – and that’s what I’ve done. It was good to be with my family during that difficult time.”Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnWhere Are They NowNostalgiaThe X FactorRay Quinn
