Emmerdale's Billy star Jay Kontzle's life off screen - family tragedy, gorgeous wife and mini-me kids

Jay Kontzle is a popular face on TV screens as he has starred as former bad boy Billy Fletcher in hit ITV soap Emmerdale since December 2018. Most recently on the soap, Billy has been been taking part in unlicensed boxing matches in a bid to make quick cash for his family, which he is keeping secret from his wife Dawn.

Next week, Billy is forced to fight a dangerous, unlicensed boxing match and feels guilty lying to his family as Dawn buries her suspicions in upcoming scenes. Away from the Dales, actor Jay's life is much less dramatic. The 34 year old, who hails from Crewe, is happily married to his stunning wife Mimi and the couple share three adorable children together.

Doting dad Jay regularly shares glimpses inside his family life on his Instagram page with his 50.2K followers. He recently shared a look into his fun-filled summer that he spent with his loved ones.

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He wrote: "Last Day of the Summer!" and posted adorable snaps of himself, his wife and their three little children enjoying a fun day out at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Other snaps showed Jay holding hands with two of his little ones while another showcased their eldest son and daughter's beautiful smiles.

But Jay, who tied the knot with wife Mimi back in 2016, has also faced family tragedy in his life as he tragically lost his beloved mum Louise at a young age.

According to The Mirror, when Jay was 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. But then at four years old, Jay's mum died aged just 21 in a car accident.

He was then brought up by his grandparents and previously said he owes them everything. His declaration for his grandparents came as he backed a campaign to better support kinship carers to receive “the recognition they deserve”.

Speaking about his upbringing, Jay told OK!: "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."

As part of the charity campaign, Jay urged people to sign a petition calling on the government to better support kinship carers.

Jay said: “I owe my grandparents everything. They raised me and looked after me through thick and thin.

"They gave me a purpose and a sense of belonging but they never received any recognition or support for what they did and the sacrifices they made." He continued: “My nan had to quit her job as a nurse to look after me, and my granddad had to work night shifts to earn more money."

He added: “They really struggled to get by and used their pensions to care for me. Being a kinship carer can be overwhelming sometimes, without any emotional or financial support for themselves or the child.

“My behaviour was terrible as a kid and I could be a nightmare sometimes because of what I’d been through, but they never gave up on me. My grandparents hadn’t planned to raise me but they did because they loved me, and yet they didn’t receive any help at all, despite all the sacrifices they made, and that’s not right or fair.”

The actor added that kinship carers need to be recognised and supported for trying to do the right thing. “If it wasn’t for them, I would have grown up in care and goodness knows what would have happened to me,” he said.

Jay landed his breakout role in Emmerdale in 2018 after being tipped off about a casting session by his friend, Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas. Before that, his main TV credit was a part in the Channel 4 series Fresh Meat starring Jack Whitehall and he'd previously starred on The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent as part of boy band The Mend. It was through his former band The Mend that Jay met his artist wife Mimi when she attended one of their gigs.

The couple married in 2016 and share three children together. Speaking about their wedding, Mimi told OK! : "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!"

Then in 2022, Jay and Mimi, who have now been married for eight years, exclusively announced their pregnancy news to OK! and the star confessed that baby number three was far from planned.

Revealing that he found out the news during his lunch break on the set of the ITV soap, Jay told us: “Mimi called me during my lunch break on set and told me. I was sitting eating lunch in the sun and all of a sudden I went hot and started dripping with sweat. I was a bit shocked!”