Ricky Hatton has taken to social media following the news of his apparent romance with former co-star Claire Sweeney, whom he met whilst doing Dancing on Ice.
As revealed exclusively by the Mirror the former professional boxer, 45, and actor Claire, 52, have been dating for a few weeks. Ricky is said to be "besotted" with the Coronation Street cast member.
Following the news, Ricky took to Instagram on Tuesday morning with an update about his life for his followers on the platform. He shared a photo of himself sat in a car, with him seen wearing a black t-shirt and sporting sunglasses.
He teased in the caption that he had been for treatment on his eyes, suggesting that he had laser eye surgery. He wrote: "Eyes lasered today." Referencing the rhyming slang for the organs, he added: "Mince pies needed sorting." Ricky used the fingers crossed emoji in the post on his Instagram Story.
It comes after Ricky and Claire - who's known for starring in Channel 4 's Brookside - were spotted enjoying a night out over the weekend. The pair were seen together in Ricky's home region of Greater Manchester on Saturday.
Sources told the Mirror that it was the latest in a string of dates that the pair have been on since March. One source said that Ricky and Claire had "electric" chemistry when they met in rehearsals for the most recent series of ITV 's Dancing on Ice, which aired earlier this year.
Discussing the former colleagues, a source told us recently: "The chemistry was electric [when they met]. Ricky went out of the show early on but he contacted her afterwards and let's say he started wooing her."
The source said: "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." Ricky and Claire are said to have been out in Liverpool over the weekend too.
"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 [Jaxon, nine] so they are being very careful. Let's watch this space," the source added.
Claire spoke about relationships on the Mirror's Invite Only podcast in January. She shared at the time that she was "fulfilled" in her life and although suggesting she was open to romance, stated that she was "not searching" for a partner.
She commented on the podcast: "I'm so fulfilled. [...] I get all the love I want off my son, all the attention I want at work and I'm financially secure, so at the moment it's like ... I'm not searching and I don't feel there's a void in my life."
Discussing the prospect of dating though, she said: "I really want to be with someone who makes me laugh. Someone who's kind. Someone I will click with [and who] gets what I do ... who's not threatened by what I do."
Claire continued by sharing: "[Someone]who's got their own business, their own mind or whatever. So, someone like that. It just wouldn't be about aesthetics. Okay, there's an initial attraction but I want it to be more than just aesthetics - and that's the type of person I'm looking for."
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