It was a romance that fans were certain would stand the test of time, but Jake Roche and Jesy Nelson's relationship ultimately ended in heartbreak as they broke up just before their wedding.
Fast forward six years and things are very different for the former young couple. While Jesy has undergone a major image overhaul as she tries to break it in the US post-Little Mix, Jake recently shared a self-deprecating post about his own struggles since his successful pop career.
When Jesy and Jake - the son of Coleen Nolan and Shane Richie - first met back in 2014 at Capital FM'S Summertime Ball, the couple were full of optimism for the future as they bonded over their passion for music.
Months prior, she had been dating Diversity's Jordan Banjo, but the pair reportedly split over his struggle at her rapidly growing fame.
A source told the Daily Mirror at the time: "Jesy’s become a lot more famous than Jordan and he found it difficult to cope with the amount of male attention she was getting, so they both agreed it was best that they call it a day."
As Jesy and Jake's relationship blossomed, the pair were pictured looking smitten as they cosied up together while at music festivals and out for dinner.
At the time, while Jesy was busy with Little Mix, Jake was performing with Rixton at big venues like the Summertime Ball.
Jake told the Daily Star Sunday in November that year: "Yes it is serious and yes it is love. It’s a proper relationship, we’ve both met the families and everything is going really well.
"Jesy and my mum are really close which is a massively important thing for me."
Less than a year later in July 2015, Jake popped the question on stage in front of thousands with the help of friend Ed Sheeran, who had driven for five hours on his day off to perform for them.
Jesy was later spotted flashing a huge sparkling engagement ring as she performed with her bandmates at the Key 103 Summer Live 2015 show in Manchester Arena.
"I've never seen anything like it when they're together," Jesy's former bandmate Perrie had said about the couple. "It's so nice."
Sadly, their relationship was not meant to be and the couple called off their wedding in 2016 following rumours their romance had become strained as they continued to row.
Speculation had sparked when Jesy unfollowed Jake on Instagram and he later shared cryptic posts of black clouds.
It was later suggested that Jesy decided to call time on their relationship over clashing plans to start a family.
A source told Reveal magazine at the time that Jesy had been "constantly" talking about being a mum and trying for a baby as soon as they tied the knot in the coming May. But Jake - who had been 24 at the time - reportedly didn't feel ready for fatherhood.
Jake later announced that year that Rixton was going on hiatus - with the band reuniting in 2019 and rebranding themselves as Push Baby.
Jesy continued seeing huge success with Little Mix, but decided to quit in December 2020 and later began her solo career.
