As most of us well know, the path of true love never does run smoothly.
Just ask Kym Marsh, who at 48 has finally found her soulmate in Samuel Thomas, a hitherto unknown actor who, at 29, is 19-years her junior.
Confirming the relationship on Sunday evening, Kym shared a photo of herself and Samuel with the accompanying caption: ‘Met the most amazing man ever! Sometimes the most unexpected things happen at the most unexpected times. @samuelthomasuk I love you.’
Adding credence to the idea of love being found in the unlikeliest of places, Kym fell for her new man while treading the boards as evil Cruella de Ville in a touring production of 101 Dalmatians.
But if the actress has previously failed to find the man of her dreams, it’s not for the want of trying, with her third marriage coming to an abrupt end just 13-months ago.
It was the latest in a series of high-profile heartbreaks for the mother-of-three, but who else has featured on her path to true love?
MailOnline has all the answers.
Kym Marsh has finally found her soulmate in Samuel Thomas, a hitherto unknown actor who, at 29, is 19-years her junior
1. DAVID CUNLIFFE (1994-1999)
Long before she became a household name, aspiring actress and singer Kym met Dave, a local builder, during a night out at a karaoke pub in her hometown of Garswood, Lancashire.
The couple soon engaged and would go on to welcome two children, David, 27, and Emilie, 26, before separating in 1999.
Kym later recalled struggling to make ends meet as a single mother while living on ‘£80 week in rented accommodation.’
‘They were well-clothed and fed, although they didn’t have any luxuries,’ she told Prima magazine of David and Emilie’s upbringing.
‘Sometimes it was tricky getting money together for the week. When Emilie was a baby, my sister, Tracey, and I would sometimes go halves on a bag of nappies.’
She added: ‘I’d also take the kids to mum’s if we didn’t have enough money to top up the electric meter.
‘Times were difficult, but we managed, and I made it work.’
2. JACK RYDER (2001-2009)
Romance blossomed over tea and biscuits after Kym met Jack in the BBC canteen.
Then a member of doomed pop group Hear’Say, the actress was making an appearance on Top Of The Pops when she crossed paths with Jack, a household name thanks to his role as Jamie Mitchell in EastEnders.
The couple married at St. Albans parish church, Hertford, in August 2002 and sold the pictures to OK magazine for a reported £300,000.
But seven years later it was all over, with Jack filing for divorce on the grounds of adultery following her fling with fellow actor Jamie Lomas.
In Marsh 2009 District Judge Lynn Roberts granted Jack the decree nisi on the grounds that the marriage had irretrievably broken down.
In court papers Jack said he first found out about her adultery in July 2008. He wrote that she ‘has admitted that she has committed adultery, which is ongoing’.
Kym, in reply to a question asking if she admitted the adultery alleged, said simply: ‘Yes.’
When asked if she objected to paying costs even though she did not defend the petition, she replied: ‘No, we have agreed that I will make a contribution of £673.50p towards the respondent’s costs (inclusive of VAT and disbursements).’
