Jake Quickenden breaks his silence on his split from wife Sophie Church as he shares sweet message for his sons

Jake Quickenden has broken his silence on his split from his wife Sophie Church, as he shared a sweet message for his sons on Instagram. 

It was reported on Wednesday that the X Factor star has split from influencer Sophie after four years of marriage.

Jake appeared to reference the split after sharing a post about their children Leo, five, and Kit, 15 months.

Posting a gallery of snaps with his sons, the singer captioned the post: 'My boys…. My world!!'

Jake went on to respond to a follower in the comments after they shared their support in the wake of his marital split.

They wrote: 'Whatever is happening the kids have the best parents ever…dad and mum who love them so much!

'I hope things work out for the best! Positively your way!'

Jake then responded: 'Appreciate that, they are all that matter.'

Jake and Sophie are said to be 'incredibly amicable', and remain focused on co-parenting their children, Leo and Kit. Quickenden is also a stepfather to Church's older son, Freddie, from a previous relationship. 

A source told The Sun: 'There is still a huge amount of love and respect between them. Their main priority has always been, and continues to be, their children, and they are fully committed to being the best parents possible.

'Over time, they started to grow apart and Jake and Sophie have had some long and honest conversations about this.'

The insider added: 'While they might not be together any more, they are still on great terms and are looking to the future, co-parenting together. Maintaining a happy and supportive family unit together is their focus now.'

The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for further comment. 

Jake praised his wife in the days following their Ibiza wedding, who he described as his 'soulmate' in his vows. 

He said: 'I thought it was an angel walking down the aisle,' before confessing they wrote their own wedding vows.

'I was saying, "I won't leave empty wrappers in the cupboard any more." I said, "I'll still love her when she makes a noise when she eats like a squirrel."

'I said at the end, "I think there's only one true love and you're my soulmate."'

Jake also spoke about the challenges he faced in pursuing a career while raising a young family, saying that it's 'hard' to be away from his two young sons.

He told The Mirror: 'It's hard. But there's so many parents who have to work away in all lines of work, and it can be tough. But we’ve got FaceTime now which is great, so we get to see their faces every day.' 

Jake started dating Sophie in 2018, confirming their engagement three years later.

He said: 'I just want to be a decent role model for my kids, and if they see me working away and trying to better myself then hopefully that will rub off on them. 

'And as hard as it is being away, it’s not forever.'

Acknowledging the emotional strain, Quickenden added that, like anyone, he has 'down days' when he can’t see his loved ones but tries to focus on the bigger picture. 

He reiterated that he wants to show his sons that 'you need to work in life' and that 'nothing comes easy'.