Ashley Roberts on Lorraine
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Ashley Roberts confirms ‘unexpected’ romance with toyboy boyfriend 17 years her junior: ‘I’m in a happy place’

They've been dating since November

Strictly Come Dancing’s Ashley Roberts has confirmed her romance with her toyboy boyfriend and revealed she met him “the old-fashioned way”.

The former Pussycat Dolls, 42, revealed she went through “disastrous” online dates before meeting hunky 25-year-old artist George Rollinson last November – leading to a public outing earlier this year.

After meeting through mutual friends, their romance blossomed and Ashley said she was in a “happy place” after it came about naturally.

Strictly star Ashley Roberts ‘in a happy place’ with toyboy boyfriend

Ashley told the Daily Mail: “It was an unexpected thing, we met, and I was having a good time and living my best life, enjoying it and I was like: ‘This is someone quite special.’ I’m in a happy place.”

George has worked with multiple high-profile figures, including five-time Grammy award-winning rapper and singer Drake.

The Heart FM presenter and her toyboy holidayed together in Dubai last year where they soaked up the Middle Eastern sunshine.

Before meeting George, Ashley reportedly signed up for celebrity dating app Raya in 2022 and recalled a terrible night out where she ended up being catfished.

She admitted: “I turned up and necessarily didn’t recognise the person sat in front of me from [their profile] images. And I was like: ‘Wait a minute,’ and it’s a bit uncomfortable because you have to sit through a meal, so that was on the disastrous side.”

Giovanni Pernice and Ashley Roberts
Ashley went out with Giovanni for two years (Credit: Cover Images)

Previous lovers

The Don’t Cha singer’s last public relationship was with former Strictly pro Giovanni Pernice. She danced with Pasha Kovalev but Ashley and Giovanni met on the show and dated from 2018 until 2020. The professional dancer quit the show ahead of this year’s 20th anniversary series.

Rumours also swirled that I’m A Celebrity… host Declan Donnelly, 48, and Ashley enjoyed a fling in 2012, although it was never publicly confirmed by the pair.

Read more: Ex Strictly winner arrested on suspicion of domestic violence

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Nancy Brown
Associate Editor