Inside the family life of DI Ray star Parminder Nagra from famous ex to son

DI Ray, featuring Parminder Nagra as a detective inspector in a fictitious Birmingham-based police force, is back on ITV. Despite having no formal acting training, the 49 year old shines in the lead role and boasts an intriguing background.

Born in Leicester, she was approached by her former drama instructor after leaving school, who invited her to join the Leicester-based theatre company Haithizi Productions.

She landed a role in the musical Nimai, eventually replacing the lead actress who had withdrawn. Despite being a complete novice, she received acclaim for her singing and acting skills.

Choosing not to attend university, she concentrated on her acting career, with her breakthrough film being Bend It Like Beckham in 2002. She underwent intense nine-hour-a-day workouts for the role.

Over the years, the star has had two significant relationships, the first being with Irish actor Kieran Creggan in 1996, reports Birmingham Live.

The couple met on the set of the play Fair Ladies at a Game of Poem Cards and moved into a flat together in Kennington, South London.

After a five-year relationship, they separated, and she later met photographer James Stenson.

They married in 2009, after dating for seven years. Her ER co-stars, Scott Grimes and John Stamos, performed at the wedding.

Her friend and ER co-star Maura Tierney even officiated the ceremony.

The pair welcomed a son, Kai David Singh Stenson, in May 2009 but their marriage ended in divorce by July 2013.

Her high-profile separation, labelled as "bitter" by the media, resulted in her retaining ownership of her California residence, valued at over $700,000, along with their UK property.

Parminder subsequently featured in the series Maternal, portraying an NHS nurse grappling with maintaining equilibrium between her professional and personal life as a new mother.

She shared that she and her fellow cast members were juggling their professions and motherhood "in real time" during the production of the series.

Speaking to Leicester Mercury, she said: "[We were] making sure our kids were taken care of and making sure that we were still able to do our work, and then feeling guilty if we weren't there."

Adding further, the actress stated: "I like being at work, and that makes me a better mother, because I'm basically just in a better mood. Otherwise, where's my identity gone?".

DI Ray airs on ITV on Sunday from 9pm