Claire Sweeney returns to work after death of 'cherished' ex Ricky Hatton

Claire Sweeney has returned to work after the death of her "cherished" ex Ricky Hatton. The boxing star was found dead in his Greater Manchester home last Sunday at the age of 46.

Claire has now been seen putting on a brave face in Manchester this Friday after recently breaking her silence on her ex-boyfriend's death. The actress arrived at a studio to film an episode of ITV's Celebrity Lingo.

She went for a casual look as she turned up for filming in a navy blue tracksuit along with trainers and a gold Gucci bag. She went for full glam makeup and styled her blonde hair in loose waves.

READ MORE: Noel Gallagher shares texts with Ricky Hatton days before he died

READ MORE: Ricky Hatton's ex-girlfriend Claire Sweeney in show of support after boxing icon's death

Claire shared a tribute to Ricky which included a video montage along with the soundtrack of Elvis Presley's If I Can Dream. With the sweet post, she wrote: "I’ve needed a few days to process the devastating news about my dear friend Ricky."

The actress added: "My thoughts are with his family especially his children Campbell, Millie Fearne and Lyla, his granddaughter. To them, Speaky and to all his friends who loved him so deeply and for so many years I send you my deepest sympathy. Ricky, you were the people’s champ. We adored and cherished you. Love you always."

Claire sent her best wishes to Ricky's loved ones which included his manager Paul Speak found the body of the sporting legend at his home in Hyde on Sunday morning.

Police are not treating Ricky's death as suspicious. Ricky and Claire had known each other for years but things turned romantic between the pair when the spent time together on Dancing On Ice in January 2024.

The couple dated for eight months and stayed friends after the split. In a statement shared this week, Ricky's family shared a statement saying he had been spending time with then the days leading up to his death.

The post read: "We are all distraught at the events of recent days. To all our knowledge, despite his well-documented struggles, Richard was in a good place.

"He was excited for the future; his bag was packed ready to go to Dubai to promote a comeback fight and he was planning a celebration in Dubai of which his beloved girls Millie and Fearne were to be the centre of.

"He was excited that they would see him fight for the first time in person. He was a doting grandfather and loved spending time with Campbell and Lyla. Richard planned to spend more time in Tenerife."

They added that the "outpouring of grief and love from the nation and worldwide shows how much Richard was loved" which has given them some "comfort and pride".

The statement concluded: "Details of a memorial service will likely follow, but in the meantime we would all be grateful if the privacy of the family and Richard's memory be respected. It is not our intention to make any further public statements currently. WLR Law."

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