Ray Quinn and his wife have shared their heartbreak after their son was ‘born sleeping’.
The actor, 38, who began his career in Brookside and later appeared in Hollyoaks, married dance teacher Emily Fletcher in October 2023.
Ray and Emily were due to expand their blended family, already sharing daughter Summer Reign, four; Ray has Harry, 14, with ex-wife Emma Stephens, and Emily has Lucian, 13, from a past relationship.
Taking to Instagram, the couple revealed the devastating news that baby Rio was stillborn on August 20.
Alongside a black-and-white photo taken in the hospital with Rio, they penned: ‘No words will ever be enough, just a lot of indescribable feelings.
‘Heaven gained the most beautiful little Angel and we were overjoyed when Rio was born and we found out we had a little boy !!
‘The last few weeks have been a lot but our saving grace has been each other 🫶🏼’
A grieving Ray and Emily thanked the staff at the Liverpool Women’s University Hospital for going ‘above and beyond’ in what was the ‘most heartbreaking week of [their] lives’, still helping them to ‘create some of the most beautiful moments’.
‘When it’s you that goes through such heartbreaking times like this, You soon find out just how much help and support there is out there. It’s a whole lot more than you’d ever expect. And it’s truly amazing!’, they added.
On the decision to speak publicly about their loss, the couple admitted it was not one they ‘took lightly’, but they were keen to help others ‘who find themselves in a similar situation’.
‘Forever our Angel “RIO QUINN” 🤍🪽’, the post concluded.
Fans and famous friends flooded the comments with supportive messages, as Kym Marsh, whose son, Archie, died shortly after birth in 2009, wrote: ‘Oh Ray I’m so sorry 💔 I know this pain only too well. Sending so much love xx’
Sam Bailey, who won The X Factor in 2013, commented: ‘Oh Ray I’m so sorry my darlin xx no one should ever have to go through this xxx be strong babe!!!! Sending love to you all at this difficult time’.
Corrie’s Lucy-Jo Hudson said she was ‘heartboken’ for the pair, with Jess Wright adding: ‘Sending so so much love 🪽💔’
Liverpool-born entertainer Ray became known as a child actor, playing Anthony Murray in Brookside from 2000 to 2003.
In 2006, he finished runner-up to Leona Lewis on The X Factor, mentored by Simon Cowell, and went on to release his own swing music.
And in 2009, he wowed with his skills on Dancing On Ice, winning alongside professional skater Maria Filippov, and lifted the trophy again in 2014’s All Stars series.
Following various panto stints and live gigs, Ray was cast in Hollyoaks as Jonny Baxter in 2018. His character was part of an extremist far-right organisation and central to a terrorism storyline.
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Ray spoke openly about working as a delivery driver for Hermes for three months, having wanted a new way to stay occupied while supporting his family as showbiz opportunities dried up.
‘I’m never shy of a hard day’s work,’ he told OK! Magazine.
‘It was a humbling experience, and I’m proud of it. There’s a sense of achievement.’
Ray then began laying carpets at his family firm, alongside his brothers, after their father died.
Still with a passion for performing, he tours the UK with his live swing shows and appears as an entertainer on P&O cruises.
Earlier this year, he and wife Emily launched a podcast titled The Quinns, on which they discuss home renovation projects and family life.
He began dating schoolteacher Emily in June 2017 after meeting in a bar, saying it was ‘fate’, then popped the question at midnight on New Year’s Eve 2020.