Pop star Rachel splits with fiancé

Pop star Rachel Stevens has split with her fiancé Jeremy Edwards, her management company announced.

The couple ended their three-year relationship, saying in a statement “sometimes things just don’t work out”.

Stevens, 25, and actor Edwards, 32, said they were both “very sad” about the split but insisted they remained “great friends”.

A spokeswoman for 19 Entertainment said last night: “Jeremy Edwards and Rachel Stevens today announced that, unfortunately, despite their efforts to remain together, they have decided to end their three-year relationship.”

In a joint statement, the couple said: “Sometimes things just don’t work out no matter how hard you try.

“We still care for each other and are great friends and although it is very sad, we know that our decision is the right one.”

The spokeswoman admitted there had been recent speculation about the relationship, but insisted the couple had tried to “work it out” and that the break up had been “amicable”.

She denied that Stevens’ recent success as a solo artist had been behind the split, describing it as “one of those things”.

Stevens first found fame as a member of the chart-topping pop group S-Club 7, enjoying a string of hits.

She met Edwards, who starred in the hospital drama Holby City, through mutual friends.

When S-Club finally split, Stevens was the first member of the group to sign a solo record deal and her debut single, Sweet Dreams My LA Ex, was a massive top five hit.