Stephanie Davis has said she “felt so isolated” in the weeks after the birth of her son, sharing a throwback image of herself crying while holding the newborn as she reflected on a relationship that later ended.
The 31-year-old actress posted the photo on Instagram this week, saying it was taken when her son Samuel was about four weeks old. In the caption she wrote, “Never felt so isolated. Should have been such a happy time. I look wrecked from crying and vacant. Only 4 weeks old here.”
Davis confirmed in June that she and partner Joseph McKalroy had separated four months after the couple welcomed Samuel in January. In a statement at the time she said the split had come as “a complete shock” and described the period after the baby’s birth as one of the most vulnerable and emotional times in a woman’s life. “I’ve been left with no choice but to address the rumours,” she wrote. “Just four months after having a baby… I’ve found myself facing this chapter on my own.”
She added that she was “focusing on healing, protecting my peace, and doing the best I can—being there for my two beautiful boys,” and thanked people who had reached out. McKalroy had posted an emotional message when Samuel was born, welcoming “my beautiful baby boy Samuel McKalroy” and saying the arrival brought an “unconditional love I cannot explain with words.”
Fans and social media followers had spotted signs of trouble before the June announcement, noting that Davis did not mention McKalroy in a Father’s Day post while she paid tribute to her own father. The couple had been together since 2022.
Davis, known for roles in Hollyoaks and Coronation Street, is also mother to seven-year-old son Caben, whose father is her former partner Jeremy McConnell. McConnell was convicted of assaulting Davis in 2017. In 2022 Davis and McKalroy suffered a pregnancy loss at about three months; she later described that experience as “horrendous.”
In her recent Instagram post, Davis reflected on how the time following Samuel’s birth, which might have been expected to be joyful, instead left her feeling “vacant” and isolated. She has said she will prioritise her children as she works on her recovery and wellbeing.
The account and post add to a public timeline of Davis’s personal life over recent years, which has included high-profile relationships, legal proceedings, a miscarriage, and her work as an actress. Representatives for Davis and McKalroy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Davis’s post drew messages of support from followers and highlighted broader conversations about the isolation some new parents experience. She has not announced any public plans related to her acting work since the June statement and has said she is concentrating on family and healing.