Hollyoaks star Jessica Ellis splits from fiance Matt – just two years after he popped the question
FORMER Hollyoaks star Jessica Ellis has split from her fiancé just two years after getting engaged.
The actress, who played Tegan Lomax in the Channel 4 soap, and partner Matt Shaw have decided the relationship has run its course.
A source told us: “Jessica has quietly split from Matt after they decided marriage really wasn’t going to work.
“She’s already moving on and is looking for love with the help of her friend Kimberly Hart-Simpson.
“She’s removed all trace of Matt from social media and is really looking for a fresh start.”
The Sun has contacted a representative for Jessica for comment.
The sad end is a far cry from the happiness surrounding their relationship when Matt popped the question in 2021.
Jessica, 36, announced the engagement on Instagram by sharing a series of pictures and writing: “Well yesterday was a bit of alright thanks to my fiancé.”
In the first photo, Jessica could be seen excitingly flashing her new ring while Matt smiled behind her.
The TV star then captured herself holding a glass of champagne while pointing to her engagement ring.
In the final shot, Jess gave her followers a close-up look at her multi-coloured ring, which featured an eye-catching diamond and 10 different gemstones on the gold band.
After sharing the post, Jess was inundated with messages of congratulations.
Former co-star Jennifer Metcalfe, who portrayed Mercedes McQueen, shared: “Congratulations your ring is beautiful”.
While Gemma Merna, who played Carmel McQueen, penned: “Ah congratulations ”.
“Congratulations to you both darling! What a beautiful ring. Proper bit of you!! ,” Anna Shaffer, who played Ruby Button on the soap, wrote.
Jessica left Hollyoaks in 2018 and revealed at the time that she had to keep her shock exit a secret for six months.
The actress left the show after Tegan was crushed by a falling tree, and it’s been a heartbreaking exit for her too.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun at the time, Jessica said: “I’m so sad. It was really sad because we’re actually really good friends and they have become my family.
“I’ve known about six months. I had to keep it a secret but obviously my family knew but… I think Kieron’s still in denial.”
She said of her emotional final scenes: “A lot of it was genuine tears. It was heartbreaking.
“My mum and dad came in to watch filming and I didn’t know it was that day, it was just because I had a full day filming and they spent the entire day watching me die.”
She added: “I don’t really like change. I like routine and being in a place and I’m going to miss that.”