Ricky Hatton’s family hailed his ‘kindness, humour and loyalty’ in an emotional statement following his death and his ex Claire Sweeney says they remained friends after their split
Ricky Hatton and Claire Sweeney went from being friends to lovers and back to being friends again following a whirlwind eight-month relationship.
Soap star Claire is no doubt coming to terms with the sudden death of her ex-Ricky, who was tragically discovered dead at his home on Sunday morning. They dated last year before things cooled between them just before Christmas – but it is clear they stayed close, with the Coronation Street star cheering on his boxing return just weeks before he died.
Despite knowing each other for many years, it was only after their stint on ITV ‘s Dancing On Ice last year that rumours of a budding romance began to swirl, following a series of pub dates spotted in Manchester. Their first public appearance as a couple came in May 2024, when they graced the red carpet at the grand opening of the £365m Co-op Live Arena in the city they both loved.
READ MORE: Ricky Hatton’s dating history – from Claire Sweeney romance to ‘brutal’ engagementREAD MORE: Ricky Hatton’s final pictures with daughters and granddaughter before his death emerge
Ricky, a former light welterweight champion, met Claire during rehearsals for the ITV reality show and quickly began to win her over. A source told the Mirror at the time: “The chemistry was electric. Ricky went out of the show early on but he contacted her afterwards and let’s say he started wooing her. They’ve been out on several dates.”
They added: “They’ve been seeing each other quite a bit. He is completely besotted. It seems like an unlikely match but he’s always had a way with women. They fall for his personality, and Claire has. He knows her number one priority is her son so they are being very careful. Let’s watch this space.”
However, in the New Year reports emerged suggesting Ricky and Claire had parted ways. The split occurred prior to Christmas and when questioned about the separation a red carpet event earlier this year, Claire informed MailOnline: “I’m great – we’re still friends, we were friends, we dated and now we’re friends again. It’s all good!”.
But the former couple maintained their public backing for each other. Prior to Ricky’s devastating passing, it had been revealed that he was scheduled to take on UAE fighter Eisa Al Dah at middleweight in December in Dubai.
The Stockport-born boxer was meant to travel out for a press conference to publicise the match, but was forced to stay at home following an eye injury he suffered during an Oasis reunion gig in Cardiff.
Although he couldn’t be there physically, he joined via video link, stating: “I’m very much looking forward to it myself, to be honest with you. What you’re trying to do there for boxing in Dubai is fantastic.”
At the time, showing her backing, his ex-partner Claire posted a video of the announcement on Instagram, writing alongside it: “This is brilliant.”
Ricky, who was one of British sport’s most popular athletes during his prime, was crowned world champion when he stunned Kosta Tszyu on what was a defining night in 2005. He went on to be involved in two of the biggest fights involving British fighters when he took on Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed a body had been found at Hatton’s address and that the death was not being treated as suspicious. A spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we have found a body at an address on Bowlacre Road in Gee Cross at 6.45am today, Sunday, September 14. The death is not being treated as suspicious.”
Ricky grew up on a council estate in Hyde in Manchester and after having trials for Rochdale football club, he joined a boxing club in order to defend himself from bullies at school. After a short amateur career, he made his professional debut in a leisure centre in 19897, a far cry from the dazzling lights that would follow.
Source: Mirror
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