Who is Faye McKeever? Little Boy Blue actress playing Claire Olssen and ex-girlfriend of X Factor’s Shayne Ward
FAYE McKeever is playing an important role in a hit ITV series based on the shocking murder of 11-year-old Rhys Jones and the subsequent search for justice.
But what is Faye’s role in Little Boy Blue and what else has she been in? Here’s her background…
Who is Faye McKeever? What is her background?
32-year-old Faye McKeever comes from Manchester.
She's currently on screens in hit ITV drama Little Boy Blue where she plays 'Claire Olssen', a real character given a fictional name.
Telly fans may also recognise her as Linda Stubbings from sitcom Trollied, in which she starred for all six seasons.
She also had roles in Shannon Matthews dramatisation The Moorside and drama series Broken this year.
What's Faye McKeever's connection with Shayne Ward?
Faye met Shayne Ward before either of their careers took off, and dated from 2003 to 2014. They never married or had children.
Shayne auditioned for The X Factor in 2005 and won the series, with winner's single That's My Goal reaching Christmas No. 1 in the UK singles chart.
He now stars as Aidan Connor on Coronation Street.
Who is Faye McKeever's character Claire Olssen in Little Boy Blue?
"Claire Olssen" is the fictional name given to the mother of Jordan "Latch" Olssen, known as Boy M in court.
Boy M was just 16 at the time of the murder and found himself labelled a “grass”.
"Claire Olssen" gave evidence in the trial, where she was known as Ms M.
She revealed that a member of the Croxteth Crew called at her home shortly after schoolboy Rhys was shot dead.
Ms M played a crucial role in telling police about the movements of Sean Mercer, Nathan Quinn and James Yates when her son would not.
A police bug in her house provided vital evidence for the case.
Who else stars in Little Boy Blue and when can I watch it?
This Is England’s Stephen Graham plays lead investigator SIO Dave ‘Ned’ Kelly in the drama, and Sonny Beyga plays Rhys.
Rhys’ parents Melanie and Steve are played by Sinead Keenan and Bryan O’Byrne.
The team behind the camera have been responsible for an array of hard-hitting, quality dramas, with producer Kwadjo Dajan having worked on Cilla, Mrs Biggs and Appropriate Adult, while director Paul Whittington also has credits for The Moorside, The Widower, Cilla and Mrs Biggs.
Melanie, Steve and Dave Kelly have all supported the production of the drama, though some from their community disapproved of the fact a show was being made about the murder.
Little Boy Blue began on ITV on Monday April 24. The four-part series airs every Monday at 9pm, concluding on May 15.