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Emmerdale actor Jay Kontzle first joined the ITV soap as Billy Fletcher back in 2018.

His rise to TV fame has been quick, with the star joining his fellow cast members to collect the award for Best Soap at the 2019 National Television Awards, only a few weeks after his first appearance.

Speaking to Cheshire Live, Jay admitted that he didn't think he would get the role, but went along to a casting session in October 2018 after being told about the opportunity by Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas.

He said: "It wasn’t until I went that everything fell into place and the role really suited me. It’s been a very busy and exciting time since then and I am very happy."

Prior to his Emmerdale fame however, Jay's early life was filled with tragedy, and before starring in huge television series including Fresh Meat, he was also part of a hugely popular boyband.

Tragic past

Aged just 28, Jay Kontzle has become one of television's rising stars, but growing up, the actor had a heartbreaking start to life.

When he was just a baby, his mum Louise was pushing him in a pram across a pelican crossing, when the car hit them and Jay's pram went through a shop window.

His mum was seriously injured, with Jay called a 'miracle baby' as he survived the incident, despite suffering critical injuries including a fractured skull.

However a few years later, his mum died aged just 21 in a car accident when Jay was only four years old, when she was travelling to DJ at the legendary Hacienda club in Manchester.

Following her death, Jay was raised by his grandparents, telling OK! Magazine: "My mum was the best person in the world, but my grandparents have done a really good job.

"I really appreciate everything they've done for me."

He also told the Manchester Evening News that the tragedy in his early life shaped who he is today, saying: "I believe all these negative things help to build your character."

Changing lives

Despite his heartbreaking start to life, Jay has used his own experience to help other children in his day to day life.

Talking to the Manchester Evening News, he said: "I worked at a school with children with special educational needs and because of everything I have been through I wanted to show them that it's possible for anyone to get where they want to be.

"I tried to give them a positive outlook."

Jay is also a mental health advocate, and wrote a short film called Underwater about the issue of mental health of teenage boys, starring former Coronation Street actress Angela Lonsdale and Waterlood Road actor Jason Done.

Boyband fame

Although Jay has been delighting fans since arriving in Emmerdale village during the 2018 Christmas special, he has since revealed that his first love was actually music.

Not only does he love music, but viewers might recognise Jay from another huge television series, Britain's Got Talent, as part of boyband The Mend.

The group were formed in 2008 by ex-Take That manager Nigel Martin-Smith, and the band attempted to make it big in the United States, as well as gaining legions of fans in the UK.

In 2012, he and his friends got to the final of the talent contest with their boyband called The Mend, after being chosen as the Wild Card Act.

However, they lost out on the winning place to dancing dog Pudsey.

In 2015, they played their final concert as The Mend, before the band's name was changed to Race the Horizon.

The group posted a message on their Facebook page that evening, saying: "We have decided to bring to an end our journey as The Mend and we want to end it live with you, our fans, so we are playing one last final exclusive gig for you as The Mend."

However, the group finally parted ways in 2016, with Jay going on to pursue a career in acting.

Jay told Cheshire Live: "Being part of The Mend was a huge life experience for me and some of the best times of my life.

"Obviously being on tour and performing live on TV gave me so much experience, but as we grew older we realised that as a boy band that catered for teenagers, we couldn’t keep re-inventing ourselves."

Stunning wife

Jay has talked openly about his life growing up, and on social media, he regularly shares sweet snaps of his stunning wife Mimi, who is an artist, and their two children.

The couple met during a night out in Nantwich, after Mimi's sister, who was a fan of Jay's band The Mend, took her to see one of their concerts.

It was love at first sight and the couple married in 2017, a few weeks after their first child KaiBo was born.

Speaking about their wedding, Mimi told OK! Magazine: "We just had family there and it was really nice. It was inevitable that we were going to get married, so we thought, why not do it now!"

Discussing their family life with their two young children, she added: "It's hard work but it's worth it. But this age is the best age because they're so loving."

Emmerdale airs weekdays on ITV at 7pm

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