Jake Quickenden breaks his silence on shock Sophie Church split – & truth about THAT flirty evening with Katie Price

HE has gone from X Factor heartthrob to a thriving TV career and a gig on This Morning but this year Jake Quickenden has been battling a broken heart. The star stunned fans in May when he revealed he had split from influencer partner and mother to his two children, Sophie Church. Now, Jake has broken his silence on the split and revealed exactly where he stands with Sophie amid mounting rumours of friction and hostility between the exes. Jake Quickenden and Sophie announced their shock split in May this year (pictured together in 2022) Credit: Getty Jake Quickenden spoke to The Sun at the Hair and Beauty Awards in Manchester Credit: BackGrid Jake and Sophie revealed their split earlier this year – despite years of showing off their picture perfect lives on Instagram. It appeared that things were solid for the glamorous duo – who are parents to Leo, five, and Kit, one, as well as Sophie’s older son Freddie from a previous relationship. They had bought into the lucrative space of ‘family influencers’, racking up thousands of pounds thanks to their heart-warming and relatable content online. So it is fair to say that their split came as a shock. In an emotional post, the star told fans that, while he still “loved and respected Sophie… as a couple we just grew apart and it became hard to function together”. Just three months on from the news being made public, Jake acknowledged how his personal life had become a hot topic when he spoke to me at the UK Hair and Beauty Awards in Manchester. Taking a break from his hosting duties at the ceremony, Jake and I went backstage where he opened up on how things currently stand between him and Sophie. He said to me: “I’m definitely in a good place. “There has been a lot going on but for me, my kids are what comes first over everything.” Speaking about how things are between him and Sophie amid reports of rising tension, Jake insisted they were handling things maturely and revealed that they were “good” with each other. He told me: “Sophie and I are in a good place. There was no kind of malice there or anything like that. “We’ll always put the kids before anything else. “Now, for me, it is all about kind of moving forward and continuing to try and better myself and make sure my kids are happy. “I mean, that’s what drives me. “All I’m bothered about are the kids, if I’m honest. “As long as they’re going to be okay then I’ll be fine and we will all be good.” Jake was on top form for the evening as he entertained crowds at Manchester’s AO Arena for his fourth year in a row as host of the industry ceremony. But it didn’t take long for one star to take advantage of his newly-single status. As I first revealed on the night, Katie Price made a play for Jake despite claiming to be happily married to self-proclaimed Dubai businessman, Lee Andrews, who is understood to currently be banged up in Dubai’s Al-Awir prison. During her speech ahead of handing out an award, Katie left Jake on the spot as she revealed that This Morning’s Ben Shephard had tried to play match-maker between the pair. Jake with kids Kit, Leo and Freddie Credit: Instagram Jake is putting the children first in the split Credit: Instagram Speaking to Jake and the packed crowd, Katie said to him: “He (Ben) said to me, do you know what? All the men you’ve been with, do you know who you would suit, who I’d fit with? And it was actually you.” “Me? No way,” Jake replied. Katie then said: “Are you blowing me out? Is that a yes or a no? I’m putting you on the spot.” Jake replied: “You are.” “Sorry, I’m just researching. Am I your type or not?” Katie pressed. Jake was flustered but replied: “You’re a beautiful lady, Kate, get on with the awards!” As I watched on in the crowd, it was clear to see that Jake was visibly stunned by Katie’s words but ever the professional, he laughed it all off with a smile and carried on with the night. And as for those reports that Katie and Jake spent the whole evening ‘flirting’ after that comment – that could not be further from the truth. Jake Quickenden and Sophie in happier times as he kissed her baby bump Credit: Instagram Katie Price flirted with newly-single Jake at the Hair and Beauty Awards in Manchester this week Credit: BackGrid I was sat next to the Pricey’s table all night too – and spent plenty of time chatting with her myself backstage as we had a good catch-up – and it was clear that all of her comments were in jest. She was way too focused on her kids Junior and Princess to worry about ‘flirting’ all night – despite conflicting reports which claimed otherwise. And as for Jake, he was too focussed on his hosting duties at the annual industry ceremony to spend time with Katie. Speaking to me about being master of ceremonies at the Hair and Beauty Awards, he said: “It gets bigger and better every single time. “I think it’s really good to celebrate people in this kind of industry that don’t get a lot of recognition.” Jake has been increasingly working on This Morning too but admitted the thrill of a live audience and being able to be even more cheeky than he is on the daytime sofa is appealing to him. He said: “I love live stuff, so obviously I started presenting a lot more for This Morning and shows like that, and doing a lot of live stuff on there. “But then when you get on stage, at something like the Hair and Beauty Awards, it’s totally different to that. “I love interacting with the people in the audience. I can be a little bit more open, I can maybe drop a swear word every now and again. “So I love it, I love being on stage, no matter if I’m doing a musical, if I’m presenting, if I’m doing anything. “But presenting, I think, and acting is the way I want to go.”