Singer Jamelia has described her second ex-husband as a "deadbeat dad" who is "dead to us" after he left her when she was four months pregnant with their second child. The artist, 45, stated that the ex-husband, whose identity she has not publicly disclosed, has not seen or inquired about their two young daughters in over four years.

"He is basically a deadbeat dad, who has nothing to do with them, does not inquire about them, anything," Jamelia said on the "My Mate Bought a Toaster" podcast. She is also mother to daughters Teja, 25, and Tiani, 20, from previous relationships. Jamelia and her second husband, whom she married in 2017, share daughters True, eight, and Jream, three. Her ex-husband left the family in May 2022.

Jamelia recalled that shortly after her husband's departure, she encouraged their children to acknowledge Father's Day. "I was still in my madness like, 'Oh, but he's still your dad,'" she said. "I was still in that mode... I'm so far away from that now. He's dead to us."

The singer described the abrupt end to her marriage, stating her husband announced he was leaving without prior indication. "Literally. I was like, 'Oh, what's up with you?' He's like, 'Oh, I'm leaving.' I was like, 'Oh, okay.' Lovely guy. Like, what a husband. Sorry. I can laugh about it now. It's fine."

She previously spoke about the impact of the marriage's collapse, sharing that she and her daughters felt "abandoned" by his departure, describing the upheaval as traumatic.

Jamelia also discussed experiencing postnatal depression after the birth of True, her first child with her second husband. She opted for cognitive behavioral therapy techniques instead of medication. "When I had my now eight-year-old, I had like postnatal depression. And I remember I was offered the medication and I really didn't want to take them," she said. "I was like, OK - so again, I guess I decided to become a therapist for myself and was like, 'How can I solve this?'"

She contrasted this experience with the birth of her youngest daughter, Jream, after her husband was no longer in her life. "I think it's because I had a husband as well because honestly, when I had my last daughter, he was out of the picture and it was bliss."

The end of her second marriage also influenced her decision to leave the Channel 4 soap opera "Hollyoaks," where she played Dr. Sharon Bailey. She was offered the role in 2022 while pregnant and joined the regular cast the following year. Despite enjoying the role, Jamelia declined an extended contract, fearing the demands of filming and childcare would be too much as she was still coping with her husband's departure. "I hadn't really healed from what had happened to me - my husband leaving and our whole kind of life changing," she explained. "I did get offered another year and I would have loved to have done it, but I just thought, 'You know what, this is where I'm going to crack.'"

When asked if the strain was practical or emotional, she responded, "I think in every way - emotionally, physically, just my time. I just didn't feel like we'd even, as a family, healed properly together as well."

Jamelia eventually relocated to Dubai with her two youngest daughters, seeking a different quality of life. She cited the sense of security there as particularly important as a single mother raising girls, noting she experiences less anxiety about her daughters being out alone. "Contrary to popular belief, it's just such a beautiful place for women and girls. We're so well looked after," she said. "Also, as a single mother, it's just such a peaceful place. My daughters can go for a walk at like midnight if they wanted to and I wouldn't bat an eyelid."

She added that her children "absolutely love" their life in Dubai, describing it as feeling like a permanent vacation.

Jamelia's first marriage was to former footballer Darren Byfield, 49, with whom she has daughter Tiani. They were married from June 2008 to November 2009.