Coronation Street star Kym Marsh has been caught in a real-life soap love triangle.

The actress, 32, has started dating Hollyoaks actor Jamie Lomas after splitting from former EastEnders star Jack Ryder.

Despite announcing the end of their six year marriage in March, 26-year-old Ryder reportedly wants to give it another try.

Balancing act: Kym Marsh is attempting to balance her burgeoning relationship with Jamie Lomas with her family life and protecting her ex-husband Jack Ryder

The former pop star, who plays Weatherfield barmaid Michelle Connor, has attempted to make her marriage breakdown as smooth as possible for the sake of her children David and Emily and to spare Jack's feelings.

Since getting together with 27-year-old Lomas, who plays Hollyoaks bad boy Warren Fox, at the British Soap Awards on 3 May, Marsh has been struggling to protect her estranged husband.

A friend tells Now magazine: 'There was an instant spark between them. Kym gets butterflies whenever she thinks about Jamie and that was something she didn't really expect to feel again so soon.

'Kym can't stop talking about Jamie and when they aren't together, she constantly texts him.

'They're very wrapped up in each other. With Jamie, she doesn't feel like a mum or dowdy wife any more, but a free spirit. She loves feeling sexy again.'

Getting to know you: The couple, pictured on a lunch date in Manchester last week, have only been dating for two months

Friends of the actress say Ryder, who ironically played a character called Jamie in EastEnders before being killed off in 2005, has turned down attempts by the actor to reconcile.

A pal said: 'It's sad for Jack, but he can't compete with a Hollyoaks hunk now. It's not surprising she's gone for a good looking soap star as that's why she was attracted to Jack in the first place.

'I would expect Kym feels quite torn about it. The split with Jack was amicable and she wouldn't want to upset him, but she's happy now.'

Another thing Marsh has in common with Lomas besides acting is they are both parents.

Marsh has two children from a previous relationship to Dave Cunliffe, while Lomas recently split from fiancée Hayley, mother of his two-year-old Billy.

Ex factor: Kym Marsh with her estranged husband Jack Ryder at the BAFTAs in 2003