Boxing legend Ricky Hatton has died at the age of 46, police confirmed. The former light welterweight champion, known as 'The Hitman', was found at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester.
Hatton's recent romance with actress Claire Sweeney, 54, began after they met on ITV's Dancing On Ice in January. A source told the Mirror: '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.' The pair were seen arm-in-arm during a pub crawl in Greater Manchester, but their relationship ended in December 2024, though they remained friends.
Before Sweeney, Hatton dated Playboy model Chelsea Claire, ending things just before his Dancing on Ice stint. He also had a year-long romance with beauty expert Angela Blemmings in 2022-2023, and rekindled a relationship with Marie Pollard in 2021 after an earlier brief romance in 2016.
Hatton was engaged to Jennifer Dooley, with whom he had two daughters, Millie and Fearne. He also had a son, Campbell Hatton, with former partner Claire. In 2010, after footage emerged of him taking cocaine, he entered rehabilitation while Jennifer remained supportive. However, an affair with Irish boxing champion Emma Bowe was revealed shortly after.
