SHE’S starred in four disastrous soap weddings - but in real life Jennifer Metcalfe’s love life is looking up.
Just before Valentine’s Day the 40-year-old Hollyoaks star was spotted stepping out for a romantic night with the new man in her life.
And speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Jen says: “I have recently been spending time with someone and he makes me feel happy.
“I look forward to seeing him and our time together is always lovely.”
The couple, who were pictured together in Manchester this week, had spent the night at a fashion launch party.
From tongue scraping to saying no, here are 12 health trends to try in 2023
They are thought to have been dating since December.
The Bradford-born beauty, who shares six-year-old son Daye with former Geordie Shore star Greg Lake, has not had a serious relationship since they split in 2020 after eight years together.
Jen says: “I tried that celebrity dating app Raya but I never went on a date.
“I prefer to meet someone and get an idea of them in real life before dating, so that app got deleted quickly.
“I am always full-on with work, Daye, friends, family and life, so the idea of spending one or two hours with a stranger wasn’t for me.
“I think you need to meet someone in person. They can look really good on the app, but you have no idea what they’re like in real life.”
“My friends would try to set me up but I wasn’t a big dater. I’d rather be going out with one of my best friends.”
Looking better than ever
Jen’s personal life is a far cry from the racy romances of man-eating alter-ego Mercedes McQueen on Hollyoaks.
Mercedes has just had her latest wedding wrecked by a car crash, a secret affair and a surprise pregnancy twist.
Jen says: “I think it’s my sixth wedding, but obviously not all of them have resulted in a marriage as they’ve not worked out for one or another reason.
How to de-clutter if you have a beauty stash to last you a lifetime
“It’s been enough to put me off!
“It’s one of those things that you have to meet someone and want to get married — who knows what’s going to happen?
“And I think you can meet people and be so in love but marriage might not suit them.”
I haven’t found something that has drawn me to marriage yet. But who knows what’s going to happen . . .
Jen, who turned 40 last September, is looking better than ever. She also feels fitter and healthier, thanks to a new workout regime.
She says: “I’d always trained before but never really sustained it for a lengthy period of time, I was never consistent.
“I think now I’ve been training for the last year the way I have, three to four times a week doing lots of strength training, I feel good and have way more energy.
“I love the outcome of how my body looks but the real win for me is the health benefits.”
That stamina helps her cope with the hectic schedule that comes from playing the on-screen force of nature that is Mercedes.
This summer it will be 18 years since she first appeared in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks — and she does not regret a moment of it.
“I think I must have projected putting my roots down here,” she says.
“When I first started, I only signed a six-month contract, but I thought, ‘right, let’s jump right in and buy my first flat here’.
“I didn’t know how long the character would stay for but I’m still here 18 years later. I love living by ‘expect nothing and accept everything’.
“So each year when my contract came round I just thought, ‘well I’m enjoying myself’, so there was never a reason to leave. And honestly, I couldn’t be happier.”
For her big birthday, Jen celebrated with a weekend away in Ibiza with her best friends.
She says: “I’m not a birthday lover, it’s not an age thing, but when you’ve got a child and your days are so busy, trying to sort out something like a birthday, it’s too much pressure and a bit overwhelming.
“Me and a couple of my best friends went to Ibiza for the weekend and it was very chilled.
“On my actual birthday it was a sunny day so I got together with my friends and their children. We had a cake and a couple of beers. It was very casual but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was such a gorgeous day.”
Jen has stayed on friendly terms with ex Greg and they even spent Christmas Day together with Daye.
She says: “It’s been almost four years since we split and you have to find your way and what works.
“I take trips to Newcastle with Daye and see Greg and all his family and he comes down to us. Daye gets to enjoy both his mum and dad.”
And Daye now being in school has opened the door to finding love.
Jen says: “Up until a few months ago everything’s been quite intense, like settling Daye in school, dealing with the long hours at work, being a mum, trying to be a good friend, my family, everything.
“It’s been a lot. I feel like for the first time in ages there’s space there.”
And if the right man comes along, Jen would consider having more children.
She says: “I’ve not frozen my eggs but I’m always open to having more children.
“I’m not desperate at all, it’s not even like I’m saying I really want more, I’m just open to it.
Caught up in a multiple car crash
“People get caught up on the whole age thing. I’ve never been a believer in, ‘By this age I want this’. Who know what you’re going to want? Life changes in a blink of an eye.
“And I think if you set your planner to do something by a certain age you’re going with a rule and not how you feel.”
Sometimes on set it’s still like my first day
During her time on Hollyoaks Jen has been at the centre of some of the soap’s biggest plots. Last month she was at the heart of an explosive week of stunts.
Mercedes’ husband-to-be Felix Westwood, played by Richard Blackwood, discovered on the way to the wedding that she was having an affair with his best mate, Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas).
The trio were together in a car, and as Felix was coming to terms with the double betrayal they were caught up in a multiple car crash.
Mercedes was rushed to hospital with both men by her side.
It was there that they discovered Mercedes was expecting twins — and both men were convinced they were the dad.
But in a soap first, it was later revealed they were both right — with each twin having a different dad.
Jen says: “The stunt was amazing to film. I’m very lucky. It’s always a beautiful experience and there’s always this buzz on set when we’re filming on location.
"Whenever I work with Jamie and Richard we have the best days together. It’s not like working, they’re my best friends. It feels brilliant, and sometimes on set it’s still like my first day.”
While Mercedes has worked her way through a whole bridal boutique of wedding gowns, Jen herself has never been married.
So does she see that changing any time soon?
“I haven’t found something that has drawn me to marriage yet,” she says.
“But who knows what’s going to happen . . .”
- Hollyoaks streams online via Channel 4 each weekday at 7.30pm, with episodes on E4 the following day.
