Dancing On Ice stars Ricky Hatton and Claire Sweeney looked smitten as they were spotted on a pub crawl in the former boxer’s home town after meeting on the ITV reality show in January

Boxer Ricky Hatton and Coronation Street actress Claire Sweeney have been dating ‘for weeks’.

The duo are said to be besotted with each other. The former boxer, 45 and Brookside actress, 52, both delighted fans on ITV’s Dancing On Ice earlier this year, which was won by actor, Ryan Thomas. Earlier this month, they were spotted enjoying a pub crawl in Ricky’s gone town of Greater Manchester.

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. Claire was happily single, but Ricky – nicknamed The Hitman in his boxing days – turned her head.

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.

The duo are said to be besotted with each other (
Image:
SplashNews.com)

“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.” Ricky and Claire were spotted on a night out with pals in Greater Manchester at around 6pm on Saturday, carrying bottles of Veuve Clicquot champagne, before reappearing together outside a second pub at around 11pm.

Claire, in a glamorous black dress and silver heels, had her arm around Ricky’s neck and was whispering into his ear, as he grinned. He was later seen wrapping his jacket around her to keep her warm. The couple were also seen together at another point in the weekend as they met up with friends at Liverpool’s Hot Water Comedy Club. Ricky shared images of the couple enjoying some drinks together.

Promoted Stories

Two days before, images of them on another night out appeared on a page for a pub, The Crown Heaton Moor in Ricky’s home town of Stockport, Gtr Manchester.

Former light welterweight and welterweight Ricky has a son, Campbell, after a romance in his 20s with a different Claire. His longest relationship was with ex-fiancee Jennifer Dooley, who he was with from 2005 to 2016. Jennifer left him after a string of drink-fuelled nights on which he was pictured with other women.

The duo were on Dancing On Ice (
Image:
SplashNews.com)

The couple are said to have had ‘electric chemistry’ when they met during rehearsals (
Image:
Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty I)
Since then, he has been linked with Playboy models Carla Howe and Chelsea Claire, along with Marie Pollard, Charlie Nordell and Angela Blemmings. Scouser Claire was in a relationship with Tony Hibbard from 2001 to 2007 and her last ­relationship was with Daniel Reilly, the father of her son Jaxon, eight. They broke up in 2017.

She told the Mirror’s Invite Only podcast in January: “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.”

Ricky was paired with Robin Johnstone on Dancing on Ice and was the first celebrity voted off the show in January. He said he was “gutted” to be leaving the show, but was going home happy, adding: “I’ve had a great time, I’ve met some wonderful friends.”

Meanwhile Claire, who joined the cobbles last year as Cassandra Plummer, was voted out two weeks later along with pro partner Colin Grafton. A spokeswoman for Claire declined to comment last night.