HEARTBROKEN: Beloved Film Star Dies in Devastating Accident Just Days After Pregnancy Joy
Former Hollyoaks star Frankie Jules-Hough was killedin a devastating crash aged just 38
Frankie was mum to two boys and expecting a girl (Image: PA)
Frankie Jules-Hough had a bright future ahead when she was tragically killed by a speeding motorist.
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The 38-year-old former Hollyoaks actress was 17 weeks pregnant with her third child and was eagerly anticipating the arrival of her unborn baby.
She had already enjoyed a successful television career, appearing as Jess Holt in the Channel 4 teen soap. Her character was Sol Campbell’s girlfriend.
Sol was played by actor Paul Danan, who himself died in 2025.
Alongside her prominent role in the popular Channel 4 programme, Jess had also featured in Wire in the Blood, Where The Heart is, Heartbeat and Merseybeat, reports the Daily Star.
Frankie was looking forward to being a mum of a little girl (Image: undefined)
However, Frankie was preparing for a new chapter – becoming mother to a baby girl – when her life was devastatingly cut short at just 38, leaving her two young sons and partner, Calvin Buckley, completely heartbroken.
The day began like any other. Expectant Frankie was also caring for her nephew alongside her sons and was taking one of her boys to his father’s house when disaster struck.
Recalling the traumatic day, Calvin said: “We said goodbye, I told her I loved her and I never saw her again.”
Frankie was driving along the M66 motorway in Greater Manchester in May 2023 with her two sons and nephew when her vehicle suffered a puncture and she stopped on the hard shoulder. This is when Adil Iqbal ploughed into Frankie’s car after losing control of his father’s BMW.
The then 22-year-old had previously been recording himself driving at speeds of up to 123mph.
Adil Iqbal was jailed for 12 years, with this increased to 15 years, for causing death by dangerous driving (Image: undefined)
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 airlifted to Preston Hospital where her devastated family received the crushing news that her brain injuries were so catastrophic that her chances of survival were slim.
Yet there remained one glimmer of hope — Frankie’s unborn baby daughter, whom she and Calvin had named Neeve after finding out the sex just six days earlier, still had a detectable heartbeat. Tragically, however, Calvin was told that their baby could only survive if her mother pulled through.
Calvin endured an agonising two-day bedside vigil before Frankie, along with their unborn 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.”
Frankie’s two sons suffered serious injuries, so when his partner died, Calvin channelled all his energy into willing them to pull through.
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.”
Calvin, along with Frankie’s son and nephew, launched a road safety campaign (Image: BBC)
Fortunately, both boys – despite sustaining brain injuries – survived after spending weeks in intensive care at 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.”
The driver responsible, Iqbal, was initially sentenced to 12 years for causing death by dangerous driving, but this was subsequently extended to 15 years after three appeal judges determined his original sentence was unduly lenient.
Following the tragic death of their mother, Frankie’s son, Tommy Spencer and nephew Tobias Welby, collaborated on designing a road safety programme featuring vibrant, colourful characters aimed at teaching young children how to keep families safe on the roads.
Calvin Buckley has spoken out about his heartache after the devastating loss of Frankie Jules-Hough (Image: No credit)
The courageous Calvin, along with Frankie’s father Frank, took these creations into schools to help youngsters grasp the vital 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.”
