Shayne Ward is returning to Channel 5 this evening, January 10, as the second season of The Good Ship Murder officially gets underway. The 40-year-old singer and actor is making his small screen comeback after participating in Strictly Come Dancing in 2024.
He first shot to stardom after clinching victory in the second series of The X Factor in 2005, releasing his debut single, That’s My Goal, in December of that year. His impact was such that it was revealed in Gary Barlow’s autobiography My Take, that in 2006 fellow Take That member Jason Orange considered leaving the band and Shayne was seriously contemplated as his successor.
However, Jason later reconsidered his decision to leave and a replacement was no longer required. Speaking to OK!, Shayne had said: “That was a massive compliment. I’m a huge Take That fan.
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Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu after he became the seventh celebrity has been eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing -Credit:PA
“If I’d joined the band, I’d have loved it, but at the same time I’m my own artist and I’ve only known Take That with the five original members. The fans would’ve been like: ‘We want Jason, we want Robbie!'”
After disappearing from the public eye for a few years, Shayne made a comeback to the music industry in 2009. It wasn’t until 2015 that he made his acting debut, playing Aidan Connor in Coronation Street.
In terms of his personal life, the star was engaged to actress Faye McKeever from 2012 to 2014.
They had been a couple for nine years when he announced their split on Twitter, stating: “Sad to announce that myself and Faye have ended our relationship, please respect our privacy. Thank you x.”
In 2016, he revealed that he and his current partner Sophie Austin, a former Hollyoaks actress, were expecting their first child together.
Their daughter Willow was born in December 2016, and a year later, Shayne announced that the couple were engaged.
Strictly’s Shayne Ward and fiancée Sophie Austin -Credit:Instagram
In June 2022, they welcomed a son, despite having previously been told they were expecting a baby girl.
On social media, he had shared: “11/06/22 we had a HUGE surprise! Not a baby girl we were expecting but a beautiful baby Boy.
“We are so overjoyed and blessed that sir baby Ward has arrived.”
Shayne was born in Manchester to Irish Traveller parents who settled in the UK. Before his stint on The X Factor, he was part of a band named Destiny.
He would perform at pubs, clubs and weddings alongside band members Tracy Murphy and Tracey Lyle.
The second season of The Good Ship Murder commences on Channel 5 on Friday at 9pm.