Soap stars Kym Marsh and Jamie Lomas have split up.

The pair dated for 15 months but are said to have found it difficult to recover from the death of their baby son in February.

One friend told The Sun: “His death hit them for six and they were both devastated by it.

“But they had not been together long so they found it hard to deal with. Often couples in that situation have a shared history which helps them get over it – but they didn’t have that.”

Also, Jamie is trying to launch his career in America, meaning that the pair were spending more and more time apart.

One said: “It always seemed a bit odd that he was thinking of cracking the States when her work is in Manchester. He must have known the writing was on the wall.”

A spokeswoman for the ITV soap confirmed the split last night, adding: “There is no one else involved.”