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Pregnant Hollyoaks star's harrowing death days after being told 'wonderful' news

Frankie Jules-Hough was known to millions for her starring roles in Hollyoaks, Wire in the Blood, Where The Heart is, Heartbeat and Merseybeat but her life came to a tragically early end aged just 38

[Calvin Buckley has spoken out about his heartache after the devastating loss of Frankie Jules-Hough]

Frankie Jules-Hough with her partner Calvin Buckley(Image: No credit)

Frankie Jules-Hough had everything to look forward to when she was tragically killed by a speeding driver.

The 38-year-old former Hollyoaks star was 17 weeks pregnant with a third child and couldn't wait to meet her unborn baby.

She had already had a successful career on the small screen, starring as Jess Holt in the Channel 4 teen soap. Her character played Sol Campbell's girlfriend. Sol was portrayed by actor, Paul Danan, who himself passed away in 2025.

As well as her leading role in the hit Channel 4 show, Jess had also had parts in Wire in the Blood, Where The Heart is, Heartbeat and Merseybeat.

But Frankie was preparing for a new role - that of the mother to a little girl - when her life was tragically cut short when she was just 38, leaving her two young sons and partner, Calvin Buckley, utterly devastated.

[The actor shared sweet snaps throughout their friendship]

Frankie had a starring role in Hollyoaks(Image: PA)

The started in an ordinary way. Pregnant Frankie was also looking after her nephew as well as her sons and was dropping one of her son's off at his dad's house when tragedy struck.

Remembering the harrowing day, Calvin said: "We said goodbye, I told her I loved her and I never saw her again."

Frankie was travelling along the M66 motorway in Greater Manchester in May 2023 with her two sons and nephew when her car developed a puncture and she pulled over onto the hard shoulder. This is when Adil Iqbal crashed into Frankie's car after losing control of his dad's BMW. The then 22-year-old had earlier been filming himself driving at speeds of up to 123mph.

Calvin said: "I received a call to say she had been in a crash and wasn't conscious. My first thought was that she had lost the baby. The traffic was snarled up when I reached the motorway, I just got out of the car and ran as fast as I could, it felt as though I was running forever.

"When I got there, it was like a horror scene, Frankie's car was mangled, I don't know how anyone could survive that. The boys were on the ground, Frankie was being treated by paramedics. I didn't know who to run to first. My whole world just imploded."

[Frankie was looking forward to being a mum of a little girl]

Frankie was looking forward to being a mum of a little girl

Frankie was rushed to Preston Hospital by air ambulance to Preston Hospital where her family were given the devastating news her brain injuries were so severe it was unlikely she would survive.

However, there was one chink of light, Frankie's baby daughter, who she and Calvin had named Neeve when they discovered the sex just six days earlier, still had a heartbeat. However, Calvin was told their baby would only survive if her mum did.

Calvin kept an agonising vigil at her bedside for two days before she, and their unborn baby daughter, passed away.

He said: "That was utterly heart-breaking to hear. Not only did I have to watch Frankie slip away from me, but I knew that when she did, our daughter's heart would stop beating too.

"I stayed with Frankie for two days, holding her hand, but she couldn't fight any longer and when she died, Neeve wasn't strong enough to survive on her own. It still doesn't seem real, it's a nightmare that I play over and over in my mind."

[Adil Iqbal was jailed for 12 years, with this increased to 15 years, for causing death by dangerous driving]

Adil Iqbal was jailed for 12 years, with this increased to 15 years, for causing death by dangerous driving

Frankie's two sons were both seriously injured so when his partner passed away, Calvin kept his focus on willing them to stay alive.

He said: "I didn't have time to grieve, as the boys were still in hospital in a coma, and my focus just switched to them for the next three or four weeks. We didn't know if they would survive.

"It was the most unimaginably cruel situation. We were praying for the boys to wake up, but knew that when they did we would have to tell them Frankie and Neeve were gone."

Thankfully, both boys - despite suffering brain injuries - pulled through after spending weeks in intensive care in hospital.

Calvin said: "One minute, we had a family home, Frankie, me, the boys and we were so excited for Neeve to make it complete. Now, the boys are living with their dads, and I wake up to a much quieter house every morning. It's a completely senseless tragedy."

[Calvin, along with Frankie's son and nephew, launched a road safety campaign]

Calvin, along with Frankie's son and nephew, launched a road safety campaign(Image: BBC)

The driver of the car, Iqbal, was originally jailed for 12 years for causing death by dangerous driving but that was later increased to 15 years after three appeal judges concluded his original sentence was unduly lenient

Following their mum's tragic death, Frankie's son, Tommy Spencer, and nephew, Tobias Welby, helped design a road safety programme with bright and colourful characters to teach young children about keeping families safe on the roads.

Brave Calvin and Frankie's dad, Frank, took the creations into schools to help youngsters understand the importance of road safety.

Calvin said: "We wanted the children to be involved, it's something there so they are seeing their mum and sister remembered all the time, it celebrates their memory. We have a culture where it's cool to drive like an idiot and put people's lives at risk.

"People ask me if I hate the driver who killed Frankie and Neeve, but that's not who I am most angry at. I'm angry at a culture of reckless driving, which meant he was able to get likes on social media for reckless and lawless driving. Road deaths feel acceptable and they shouldn't be.

"Education is the best route out of this we need proper road safety education in schools and on the curriculum. There's nothing more important than learning how to stay alive."

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