Inside DI Ray's Parminder Nagra's life off-screen from son to actor ex

Actress Parminder Nagra is best known for playing DI Ray in ITV's DI Ray and has also been in ER, Bend It Like Beckham and Maternal - but what is her life like away from the cameras?

DI Ray, featuring Parminder Nagra as a detective inspector in a fictional Birmingham-based police force, is back on ITV. Despite her captivating performance in the lead role, the 49 year old's intriguing background reveals she had no formal acting training.

Born in Leicester, she was approached by her former drama teacher after leaving school, who invited her to join the Leicester-based theatre company, Haithizi Productions.

She landed a role in the musical Nimai and ended up stepping into the shoes of the lead actress, who had withdrawn. Despite being an absolute beginner, she received acclaim for her singing and acting skills.

Choosing not to attend university, she concentrated on her acting career instead. Her breakthrough came with the film Bend It Like Beckham in 2002, which required intense nine-hour daily workouts.

Over the years, the star has had two significant relationships. The first was in 1996 with Irish actor Kieran Creggan, reports Birmingham Live.

The couple met while working on the play Fair Ladies at a Game of Poem Cards and subsequently moved into a flat together in Kennington, South London.

After a five-year relationship, they parted ways, and she later met photographer James Stenson.

After seven years together, they tied the knot in 2009. Her ER co-stars, Scott Grimes and John Stamos, performed at the wedding, and her friend and fellow ER cast member Maura Tierney even officiated the ceremony.

The duo were blessed with a son, Kai David Singh Stenson, in May 2009 but went their separate ways in July 2013.

Following a high-profile split dubbed "bitter" by the media, Parminder succeeded in retaining her Californian abode valued at over $700,000, as well as their property in the UK.

Parminder later took to the screen in 'Maternal', portraying an NHS nurse juggling the challenges of motherhood and her career.

Commenting on the parallels between her role and personal life, she explained how she and her castmates were handling motherhood and their professions "in real time" during the production.

Speaking to Leicester Mercury, she disclosed: "[We were] making sure our kids were taken care of and making sure that we were still able to do our work, and then feeling guilty if we weren't there."

Adding to this, the actress expressed: "I like being at work, and that makes me a better mother, because I'm basically just in a better mood. Otherwise, where's my identity gone?".

DI Ray airs on ITV on Sunday from 9pm