British Boxing legend Ricky ‘Hitman’ Hatton and Coronation Street star Claire Sweeney have been dating “for weeks”, it can be revealed.
The pair are said to be besotted with each other after meeting during the filming of a hit TV show. The former brawler, 45 and ex-Brookside actress, 52, both delighted fans on ITV’s Dancing On Ice earlier this year, which was won by actor Ryan Thomas.
And earlier this month, they were spotted enjoying a pub crawl in Ricky’s gone town of Greater Manchester.
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The couple are said to have had “electric chemistry” when they met during rehearsals for the ITV reality show. And sources last night said the get-together was one in a long line of dates they have been on since March.
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(Image: SplashNews.com)
Claire was happily single, but Ricky – nicknamed The Hitman in his boxing days – turned her head, reports the Mirror.
A source said: “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. Saturday was just one in a long line of them. 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.”
(Image: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty I)
Ricky and Claire were clocked enjoying a boozy night out with mates in Greater Manchester around 6pm on Saturday, toting bottles of posh Veuve Clicquot champers, before popping up again outside another pub at about 11pm.
Glammed up in a chic black frock and sparkly silver stilettos, Claire was seen getting cosy with Ricky, draping her arm around his neck and whispering sweet nothings, while he flashed a cheeky grin. Later on, the boxing legend was spotted chivalrously wrapping his jacket around her to fend off the evening chill.
The lovebirds were also snapped during the weekend as they joined pals at Liverpool’s Hot Water Comedy Club. Ricky couldn’t resist sharing snaps of their drink-fuelled fun on social media.
(Image: SplashNews.com)
Just 48 hours earlier, the pair had been captured on camera during another lively session, this time on the socials for The Crown Heaton Moor, a local watering hole in Ricky’s hometown of Stockport, Gtr Manchester.
Former light welterweight and welterweight champ Ricky is a dad to Campbell, from a fling in his twenties with another lady named Claire. His most enduring romance was with former flame Jennifer Dooley, sticking it out from 2005 until 2016.
Jennifer gave him the boot after a series of boozy benders that saw him cavorting with other birds.
(Image: ITV)
Since their split, he’s been linked to a bevy of beauties including Playboy models Carla Howe and Chelsea Claire, as well as Marie Pollard, Charlie Nordell, and Angela Blemmings. Scouse bombshell Claire, who was with Tony Hibbard from 2001 to 2007, and whose last flame was Daniel Reilly dad to her eight year old son Jaxon called it quits in 2017.
Opening up on the Mirror’s Invite Only podcast back in January, she spilled: “I really want to be with someone who makes me laugh. Someone who’s kind. Someone I will click with. So, someone like that, it just wouldn’t be about aesthetics OK, there’s an initial attraction but I want it to be more than aesthetics, that’s the type of person I’m looking for.”
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Ricky, who hit the ice with Robin Johnstone on Dancing on Ice, was gutted to be the first celeb booted off in January, confessing he was “gutted” to leave but chuffed to bits about the experience, saying: “I’ve had a great time, I’ve met some wonderful friends.”
Meanwhile, Claire, who rocked up on the cobbles last year as Cassandra Plummer, got the boot two weeks later with skate partner Colin Grafton. Last night, Claire’s rep was tight-lipped, declining to comment.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
