Dancing on Ice star Ray Quinn dumps childhood sweetheart

Ray Quinn and Kirsty McInerney

Dancing on Ice favourite Ray Quinn has dumped his live-in girlfriend of five years for a West End actress.

The pint-sized skater split with his long term girlfriend Kirsty McInerney, 21, after secretly dating his former musical co-star Emma Stephens.

Dumped lover Kirsty McInerney says although she knew her rival and regarded her as a friend and that she only found out about the couple's relationship in the press last week.

Kirsty, 21, claims Quinn tried to sneak his possessions out of the home they shared in Liverpool, on which he still pays the mortgage, and has moved his lover into his London flat.

She adds: "I never thought that Raymond would treat me this way, but Emma is the reason we split up. I'm sure he was seeing her behind my back."

"I thought we were going to get married and spend the rest of our lives together. I also thought Emma was my friend. I now find she has taken my boyfriend."

Quinn was spotted with his new lover Emma Stephens, 23, walking hand in hand happily together in Fulham, south west London.

The X Factor 2006 runner up tried to keep the relationship hush hush until the pair were spotted and photographed.

"She's great, fantastic, beautiful," the ex-Brookside actor said of his new lover.

Scouser Ray, 20, is bookies favourite to win ITV1s Dancing On Ice after wowing judges with his slick moves with partner Maria Filippov.

But his relationship with Kirsty was less sure-footed after he moved to London last year to star as T-bird Doody in Grease in the West End.

Kirsty was back in Liverpool, although she regularly saw him and went out with the rest of the cast, including Emma who was playing Marty.

But when Ray cooled his relationship with Kirsty, he cheekily tried to strip their £185,000 three-bedroom house in Cheshire of his belongings while she was out.

Childhood sweetheart Kirsty adds: " I had changed the locks after losing my keys and when I got home he was standing outside with his brother and parents.

"Then he emptied the house of his stuff.. It looked like we had been burgled. It was so upsetting."

It had all been so different when petite dance teacher Kirsty first met former Brookside star Ray as kids at dance school.

They were paired together in ballroom dancing, and after scooping several national titles they slowly fell in love when he was 15 and she was 16.

Kirsty recalled: "I thought Raymond was brilliant with a great sense of humour. He was not scared of showing his feelings or telling me he loved me.

"Everybody always said how happy we looked and how in love he was with me."

In 2006 Kirsty encouraged Ray to enter the X Factor. "I always supported him'" she said. "I put my work off for Raymond. His career came first and I was proud of him.

She continues: "But the fame that came with X Factor changed him.

In May 2008 Ray whisked Kirsty to Dubai for her 21st birthday present. "We started looking at diamond rings and talked about getting engaged. I wanted to be with him forever and he said he felt the same"

But when they returned home, Ray landed a six-month run in Grease and moved to London.

She added: "He kept saying he did not want to be in a relationship and that he did not belong in Liverpool any more.

He said he needed to find himself and I even asked if he was gay.

The reality was I am convinced he was seeing Emma and that is why he dumped me.

But he denied it. I was heartbroken."

Kirsty is adamant that she is better off without Ray.

"I wish him well on Dancing On Ice. He is a talented bloke but I do not watch it after what has put me through."

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