Former Hollyoaks actress Frankie Jules-Hough was 17 weeks pregnant and eagerly awaiting a baby girl when a speeding driver ended her life on the M66 in Greater Manchester in May 2023.
The 38-year-old, known for playing Jess Holt in the Channel 4 teen soap, had been driving with her two sons and a nephew when her car suffered a puncture and she pulled over onto the hard shoulder. Adil Iqbal, then 22, lost control of his father's BMW and ploughed into her vehicle, having earlier recorded himself driving at speeds of up to 123mph.
Frankie had built a successful television career, appearing as Jess Holt, girlfriend of Sol Campbell — played by the late Paul Danan, who died in 2025. She also featured in Wire in the Blood, Where The Heart Is, Heartbeat and Merseybeat, according to the Daily Star.
A Family's Heartbreak
Frankie's partner, Calvin Buckley, described the moment their lives changed forever. He said: "We said goodbye, I told her I loved her and I never saw her again."
Calvin received a call telling him Frankie had been in a crash and was unconscious. He said: "My first thought was that she had lost the baby. The traffic was snarled up when I reached the motorway, I just got out of the car and ran as fast as I could, it felt as though I was running forever. When I got there, it was like a horror scene, Frankie's car was mangled, I don't know how anyone could survive that. The boys were on the ground, Frankie was being treated by paramedics. I didn't know who to run to first. My whole world just imploded."
Frankie was airlifted to Preston Hospital, where her family was told her brain injuries were so catastrophic that her chances of survival were slim. Yet there remained a glimmer of hope — her unborn daughter, named Neeve after the couple learned the sex just six days earlier, still had a detectable heartbeat. But Calvin was told their baby could only survive if her mother pulled through.
The Loss of Neeve
Calvin endured an agonising two-day bedside vigil before Frankie, along with their unborn daughter, passed away. He said: "That was utterly heart-breaking to hear. Not only did I have to watch Frankie slip away from me, but I knew that when she did, our daughter's heart would stop beating too. I stayed with Frankie for two days, holding her hand, but she couldn't fight any longer – and when she died, Neeve wasn't strong enough to survive on her own. It still doesn't seem real, it's a nightmare that I play over and over in my mind."
The Boys' Fight
Frankie's two sons suffered serious injuries and were left in comas. Calvin said: "I didn't have time to grieve, as the boys were still in hospital in a coma, and my focus just switched to them for the next three or four weeks. We didn't know if they would survive. It was the most unimaginably cruel situation. We were praying for the boys to wake up, but knew that when they did we would have to tell them Frankie and Neeve were gone."
Fortunately, both boys survived after spending weeks in intensive care, despite sustaining brain injuries. Calvin reflected: "One minute, we had a family home, Frankie, me, the boys and we were so excited for Neeve to make it complete. Now, the boys are living with their dads, and I wake up to a much quieter house every morning. It's a completely senseless tragedy."
Justice for Frankie
Iqbal was initially sentenced to 12 years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving, but three appeal judges later extended the sentence to 15 years after ruling the original term was unduly lenient.
A Road Safety Legacy
Following Frankie's death, her son Tommy Spencer and nephew Tobias Welby designed a road safety programme featuring vibrant, colourful characters aimed at teaching young children how to keep families safe on the roads. Calvin, along with Frankie's father Frank, took the creations into schools.
Calvin said: "We wanted the children to be involved, it's something there so they are seeing their mum and sister remembered all the time, it celebrates their memory. We have a culture where it's cool to drive like an idiot and put people's lives at risk. People ask me if I hate the driver who killed Frankie and Neeve, but that's not who I am most angry at. I'm angry at a culture of reckless driving, which meant he was able to get likes on social media for reckless and lawless driving. Road deaths feel acceptable and they shouldn't be. Education is the best route out of this – we need proper road safety education in schools and on the curriculum. There's nothing more important than learning how to stay alive."
