BBC Strictly Come Dancing star Shayne Ward's very famous ex he struggled to get over

X Factor winner Shayne Ward is still planning his big day with fiancée Sophie Austin - but used to be engaged to a famous actress who he struggled to move on from for years

Shayne Ward will be cheered on by fiancée Sophie Austin as he continues to compete for the famed Glitterball Trophy.

The X factor winner and actor turned Strictly Come Dancing contestant got off to a decent start last week after scoring a respectable 21 from the judges for his Samba with pro dancing partner Nancy Xiu. The pair ranked fifth place on the scoreboard for their routine to Stevie Wonder's Do I Do, beating Nick Knowles and Pete Wicks.

Off the screen, Shayne, 39, is still planning his big day despite popping the big question years ago. The Coronation Street star proposed to actress Sophie, 40, back in 2017, but they were forced to postpone the wedding due to government restrictions brought in by the covid pandemic.

"Everything can wait, there is no rush and we can definitely do this next year," he said on Lorraine Kelly morning chat show back in 2020.

However, before Shayne met Sophie he was involved in a long-term romance with British actress Faye McKeever - now 39 - known for her role in shows such as The Responder, Little Boy Blue, A Confession, and Trollied. The pair were in a relationship for two years before Shayne shot to fame after appearing on the talent show The X Factor in 2005.

In 2012, Shayne popped the question and the couple over dinner at the OXO Tower in London on their ninth anniversary, and Faye said 'yes'. But, the couple surprisingly announced they had parted ways just one year after - before they had chance to tie the knot.

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"Faye's a great girl and it's unfortunate that we have split up," he said back in 2014. "It was hard to deal with. I still absolutely love her to bits." Shayne added that having a relationship in the showbiz industry is 'hard' due to the amount of 'pressure' and that he and Faye 'just grew apart'.

"Faye and her family will always be part of my extended family," he explained at the launch of Jeff Wayne's musical War of the Worlds arena tour a decade ago. "We're still friends. We were together for so long and I would be devastated if weren't. I wanted to keep it amicable, and so did she. I'm probably taking a leaf out of Simon [Cowell's] book - he keeps all his exes with him, doesn't he?"

Strictly Come Dancing airs every Saturday night on BBC One.

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