Ray Quinn, the runner-up of The X Factor's third series in 2006, is almost unrecognisable from his early days of fame. Now 37, the Merseyside-born star has swapped his signature Elvis-style quiff for a thick black beard, and his arms and hands are heavily tattooed.
After finishing second to Leona Lewis, Quinn released a chart-topping album, 'Doin' It My Way', but was dropped by Simon Cowell's Syco label in 2007. He later won Dancing on Ice in 2009 and its All Star series in 2014, before returning to soap operas with roles in Hollyoaks and Brookside.
In his personal life, Quinn married dancer Emily Fletcher in October 2023, and the couple have a daughter, Summer Reign, born in September 2022. He has a son, Harry, from a previous marriage to actress Emma Stephens.
During the Covid pandemic in 2020, Quinn worked as a delivery driver for Hermes, earning £11.40 an hour. He told The Mirror that his late father encouraged him to take the job, saying: 'Dad said you can work your way out of anything; to keep your head up high.'
Quinn is now performing a series of festive shows, 'Ray Quinn: A Swinging Christmas', running from 12 November in Liverpool to 20 December in Luton.
