TV star Chelsee Healey’s partner has been jailed for his role in a ‘wholesale’ drug-dealing operation.
The 36-year-old Hollyoaks actress was in court to see Eddie Rainford, 32 – the father of her 15-month-old daughter – sentenced for supplying large quantities of cannabis.
Chelsee, who plays Goldie McQueen on the Channel 4 soap, had tried to keep his identity a secret after they began dating four years ago, with only his first name being revealed to fans.
She had previously described him as ‘The One’ and ‘marriage material’, saying she wanted someone who brought her ‘peace and is drama-free’.
But Manchester Crown Court heard how former Royal Marine commando Rainford, along with another man Jay Boyd, 28, had allegedly ‘headed’ an Organised Crime Gang (OCG) that dealt ‘multi-kilos’ of cannabis.
Gwen Henshaw, prosecuting, described it as ’boutique’ operation that involved selling various varieties of the drug, including ‘Cali weed’, ‘Oreo Cookies’ and ‘Orange Cake’
She said police heard Rainford and Boyd discussing ‘taking 33 per cent’ at a Costa coffee shop and that taking ‘4.5’ was a ‘risk’.
Ms Heshaw said it was ‘clear’ each played a role in the operation and when warrants were executed at an address in Salford various small amounts of the drug were seized.
Phone records showed the pair discussing drug deals and money and there were photos of large amounts of cash.
In a message to a dealer who wanted to ‘shift’ different varieties of the drug if they were ‘decent’, Rainford replied: ‘They’re decent bro.’
Ms Henshaw said there were references to ‘£10,000 plus’ quantities of the drug and the pair were sentenced for selling 4.54kg, with a value of ‘between £32,000 and £45,000’.
‘It was clearly wholesaling, the Crown say, there was buying to pass on to others for distribution,’ she said.
Both Rainford and Boyd had pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of a Class B drug between November 2022 and September 2023 – just four days after Chelsee was eliminated from ITV’s Dancing on Ice.
Rainford had been held on remand at HMP Forest Bank to await sentence after being recalled to prison.
He’d previously been sentenced to six years for violent offences while serving with Royal Marines, court-marshalled and released from prison in July 2022.
Mark Friend, defending Rainford who has three previous convictions for five offences, said it was not a ‘sophisticated’ operation and he disputed the pair had been part of an OCG.
He said Rainford had served his country well in Africa, the Middle East and on the North Korea-South Korea border and been recommended for the special forces.
He now wanted to lead a decent life with his partner and her two daughters and put his criminal past behind him, Mr Friend added.
Tanya Alahi, defending Boyd, said, he was ‘remorseful’ and regretted his ‘stupid mistake’.
Judge Peter Horgan said it was ‘inappropriate’ to describe it as an OCG operation but nevertheless the drug dealing had spanned a 10-month period.
The judge acknowledged that Rainford had served his country with distinction but said that ‘for some reason’ he became involved in dealing cannabis for financial gain.
He sentenced Rainford to 24 months in prison and Boyd to 20 months, saying only a custodial sentence – rather than a suspended one – was appropriate.
Chelsee, who was sat in the public gallery, showed no emotion as her partner was jailed.
‘Have you got what you want now?’ she said to a journalist as she left court.
‘Someone’s misfortune.’
After her Dancing on Ice exit, Chelsee had hinted at the tough time she had endured away from the cameras, saying: ‘I feel, personally, there’s been a lot going on with me that I’ve been struggling with, so I couldn’t completely focus.
‘I’m just really grateful, I’ve had the best time.’
A source told The Sun that what Chelsee was desperately struggling with at the time was Rainford’s being in court on drug charges.
She had kept his identity under wraps since they began dating in 2021.
His first name was revealed after the birth of their daughter Cookie in December 2023 when Chelsee’s Hollyoaks co-star Richard Blackwood shared photos of her baby shower on Instagram – with one showing Rainford.
Chelsee also shared a selection of pictures on social media of Rainford on his birthday in April last year.
And fans speculated that the pair, both from Salford, had secretly married when she referred to him as her ‘husband’.
Chelsee, who also has daughter Coco, seven, from another relationship, previously said that her relationship with Rainford was the ‘most supportive’ she’d ever been in.
She told Closer Magazine in July 2023: ‘My friends and family love him, and he’s the first bloke I’ve introduced Coco to, which says a lot. I knew he was ‘The One’ within three to four months. I’ve kissed a few frogs, but he’s definitely marriage material.’
She said she’d been in ‘toxic and abusive’ relationships in the past but with Eddie it was ‘completely different’ adding: ‘I just want someone who brings me peace and is drama-free and this feels right.’
In April, Chelsee returned to filming for Hollyoaks after taking an extended break.
But she sparked concern among fans after saying she was ‘struggling’, ‘putting on a brave face’ and was ‘on a downward spiral’ in a social media post the following month.
Chelsee continued: ‘I don’t like people to know that I’m not where I want to be, so I just think it’s very important to say if you do need help, please reach out.’
