Suzanne Shaw has shared photographs from her first holiday as a “solo parent” with her 10-year-old son Raffi, months after separating from her fiancé of 12 years, Sam Greenfield.
The former Hear’Say singer, 44, said the trip had given her and Raffi the chance to create “the most special memories” during a summer that had initially felt uncertain.
Posting on Instagram, Shaw was pictured alongside her son, who wore an England football shirt and shorts, while she also shared photographs of herself relaxing in a yellow bikini by the pool.
“Summer looked a little different for us both this year, but somehow it turned into one of the best summers I’ve had in years,” she wrote.
Shaw said she had expected the trip to bring “some emotional moments”, but found that she had thoroughly enjoyed the experience of travelling with Raffi alone.
“Just the two of us, having our own little adventure, enjoying each other’s company and making memories I know I’ll treasure forever,” she added.
Suzanne Shaw reflects on life after split
The holiday follows Shaw’s emotional announcement earlier this year that her relationship with Greenfield had ended. The couple became engaged in 2014 and welcomed Rafferty in 2015.
In a video shared with her followers, Shaw said the break-up had been unexpected and described feeling as though “the rug got pulled from underneath my feet”.
She later said that therapy, meditation, running and giving up alcohol had helped her manage the upheaval. Shaw has been sober for six years and told fans she was learning to “lean into” the pain while beginning a period of healing.
“I am going into the era of having the greatest love affair with myself,” she said at the time.
Despite the difficulties of the year, Shaw has also celebrated becoming a grandmother. Her elder son Corey’s partner, Erin, gave birth to a boy named Colton, an arrival she said had brought “a lot of joy and love” into her life.
Reflecting on her time away with Raffi, Shaw said the pair had laughed, explored and enjoyed the sunshine, adding that neither of them wanted the holiday to end.
“Sometimes the times you don’t quite know what to expect from turn out to be the most special,” she wrote. “So grateful for this time with my boy and all the memories we made along the way.”
