Stephanie Davis has said she "felt so isolated" in the weeks after giving birth, sharing an emotional throwback photograph of herself crying while holding her newborn son.
The 31-year-old actress posted the image on Instagram this week, writing that she had been "vacant" and distressed during what she described should have been a happy time. The snapshot was taken when her son Samuel was about four weeks old; Davis and her then-partner Joseph McKalroy announced in June that they had split, four months after Samuel was born in January 2025.
In the caption accompanying the throwback, Davis wrote: "Never felt so isolated. Should have been such a happy time. I look wrecked from crying and vacant. Only 4 weeks old here." In a separate statement to fans in June, she said the split had been "an incredibly painful and unexpected time" and that she had "found myself facing this chapter on my own".
Davis, known for roles on Hollyoaks and Coronation Street, said in the June statement she was focused on "healing, protecting my peace, and doing the best I can — being there for my two beautiful boys" and thanked those who had reached out. She added that she was grateful for the relationship because it had given her Samuel, who she said "will always be my priority."
McKalroy, who had posted an emotional message when Samuel arrived, wrote at the time: "Welcome to the world my beautiful baby boy Samuel McKalroy... I never thought I could possibly love your mummy anymore than I already do but this is just so special and an unconditional love I cannot explain with words." He also said Samuel was named after a relative he described as held "heavy on my heart." The couple had been together since 2022.
Fans and followers noted signs that the relationship had broken down before the June confirmation, pointing to social media posts in which Davis marked Father’s Day with a tribute to her own father but did not mention McKalroy. Commenters speculated about the couple’s status after the omission.
Davis is also mother to seven-year-old Caben, whose father is her former partner and Celebrity Big Brother co-star Jeremy McConnell. McConnell was convicted of assaulting Davis in 2017. Davis has publicly discussed a miscarriage she and McKalroy endured in 2022, calling the experience "horrendous" and saying they had planned a future as a family of four.
Her recent Instagram post is the latest public update on a private period that Davis has described as emotionally fraught. She has emphasized her priority is her sons and her own recovery, and her social media statements have thanked supporters for messages of kindness as she moves forward.