Jamelia brands ex-husband a 'deadbeat dad' who is 'dead to us' after he abandoned her while four months pregnant

Jamelia has branded her second ex-husband a 'deadbeat dad' who is 'dead to us' after he walked out on her when she was four months pregnant with their second child.

The singer and actress, 45, claimed her ex – whose identity she has never disclosed publicly – neither sees nor asks about the two young daughters they share after abandoning them over four years ago.

'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.

The Superstar hitmaker shares True, eight, and Jream, three, with her second husband, who left the family in May 2022 while she was expecting their youngest child.

Jamelia, who also has daughters Teja, 25, and Tiani, 20, from previous relationships, also recalled how, just weeks after he left, she was still encouraging their children to mark 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 Birmingham-born singer also recalled just how abruptly her marriage came to an end, revealing her husband just announced one day that he was leaving.

She said: '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.'

The star married her second husband in 2017 but chose never to publicly identify him during their relationship.

She has spoken previously about the devastating impact of their marriage collapsing, revealing she and her daughters felt 'abandoned' when he left.

She said the split had been like a 'sledgehammer' going through their lives and described the upheaval that followed as traumatic.

On the podcast, Jamelia also reflected on suffering postnatal depression following the birth of True – her first child with her second husband – revealing she turned to cognitive behavioural therapy techniques after deciding she did not want to take medication.

She said: '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.

'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 compared that experience with giving birth to Jream after her husband was no longer in the picture.

Jamelia said: '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 collapse of Jamelia's second marriage also played a part in her decision to walk away from Hollyoaks after playing doctor Sharon Bailey on the Channel 4 soap.

She was offered the role while pregnant in 2022 and joined the regular cast the following year, later being asked to stay for another 12 months.

But despite saying she 'absolutely loved' the job, Jamelia turned down the second contract because she feared the demands of filming and raising her children would push her too far while she was still struggling with the aftermath of her husband's departure.

She explained: 'I hadn't really healed from what had happened to me - my husband leaving and our whole kind of life changing.

'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."'

Asked whether the strain had been practical or emotional, she replied: '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 after deciding she wanted a different quality of life for the family.

She said the security she feels there has been particularly important as a single mother raising girls, claiming she no longer experiences the same anxiety about her daughters being out alone.

Jamelia added: 'Contrary to popular belief, it's just such a beautiful place for women and girls. We're so well looked after.

'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 said her children 'absolutely love' their life there, adding: 'It genuinely feels like being on holiday all the time'.

Jamelia's first husband was former footballer Darren Byfield, 49, who is the father of her daughter Tiani. They were married for 17 months, from June 2008 until November 2009.