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Daily Record
Entertainment
Sam Elliot-Gibbs & Eve Beattie

Ex-Eastenders star Jack Ryder is unrecognisable 14 years after divorce from Kym Marsh

Jack Ryder has stunned his old fans with his new career path and very different lifestyle.

The ex-soap star, who was married to ex-wife Kym Marsh for seven years, now writes children's books and runs a mentoring business reports the Mirror.

The 41-year-old was just 17 when he appeared on Eastenders fan's screens, making his debut as the floppy-hired mechanic, Jamie Mitchell

He was subsequently killed off on December 25, 2002, when Martin accidentally ran over Jamie outside the Walford tube.

He was rushed to the hospital and stayed there for days when eventually his loved ones were informed he wouldn't survive due to severe spleen damage, breaking the hearts of many and leaving the square reeling.

Due to his blonde curtains and cheeky smile, beloved fans dubbed him the 'mini David Beckham' and he is still just as handsome two decades after bursting on to the scene.

However, the ITV soap wasn't the end of his acting career- and it wasn't long before he caught the eye of Hear'Say singer Kym Marsh.

Writing in her tell-all memoir, From the Heart, the actress revealed how the pair came to meet before getting hitched years later.

"When I spotted him I told Myleene Klass, 'He's quite cute - except he looks about 12'," confessed Kym.

Kym Marsh's ex Jack Ryder unrecognisable from EE days in wholesome new career (Instagram/ @jackrydersessions)

"We chatted and he was flirting with me. I kinda liked him too. He had a very honest face and I could sense something between us.

"A few months earlier I'd been a single mum who spent her evenings ironing. Now I was being texted by the hottest soap star in the country."

After marrying in August 2002, the duo settled in St Albans in Hertfordshire, before relocating to Manchester in 2004.

She was given the role of Michelle Connor on Coronation Street in 2006 and all seemed well between the couple.

However, just two years later the soap duo called their relationship off.

They announced they would be getting divorced in 2008, issuing a statement which said no one else was involved in the break-up and they would "remain friends".

Shockingly, the actress admitted to cheating on Jack in their divorce papers.

He was then granted a decree nisi on the surprising grounds that the marriage had broken down irretrievably as a result of her affair with fellow soap star Jamie Lomas, who plays Warren Fox on Hollyoaks.

In reply to a question asking if she admitted to the alleged adultery, Kym simply replied: "Yes."

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