Boxing legend Ricky Hatton will swap the ring for the ice rink as part of the line-up for Dancing On Ice 2024.
Ricky, 45, held several titles during his standout boxing career and will be hoping to add another title – that of DOI champ – to his collection of honours.
However, while the bookies may not fancy Ricky – a 40/1 shot – to triumph, it is too early to count him out yet.
Ricky is skating with pro star Robin Johnstone for the ITV series. And while he has been downplaying his chances of success, Ricky certainly hopes to entertain those watching at home.
Asked if he has anything to prove, the ex multiple world champion told ITV: “I’m having a laugh but I want to do as well as I can. I’ve never done anything by halves. I have gone in for a laugh and I think people are going to be laughing their bellies off, to be honest with you but I’ll be giving my best.”
Ricky added: “From where I’ve come from a few years back, I was in a really bad place and when people see me doing
positive things like the documentary, the exhibition and now Dancing on Ice. As I’m an ambassador for mental health it’s inspiring a lot of people.”
Here is more from ED! about Dancing On Ice’s Ricky Hatton, including everything you could want to know about him.
Dancing On Ice 2024: Ricky Hatton profile
Where can I watch the Ricky Hatton documentary? What is it about?
Hatton is a Sky documentary that was released in 2023. The 90-minute film looks at Ricky’s life in and outside of the ring, with contributions from Ricky, those closest to him, and his boxing peers.
As well as covering Stockport-born Ricky’s rise to main eventing boxing cards in Las Vegas, Hatton also depicts the popular star’s estrangement from his family and split from his coach. An attempted suicide is also included in the raw doc, said to be an inspirational story of a man forced to navigate broken dreams.
What is Ricky Hatton’s net worth?
According to celebritynetworth.com, Ricky – who was an active competitor between 1997 and 2012 – may be worth up to $40 million (£31m). However, this claim is not substantiated and must be taken with many grains of salt.
Nonetheless, Ricky enjoyed incredible success in the ring – and suffered only three blemishes on his win-loss professional record. Those three losses came in his last five out of 48 pro fights.
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Did Ricky Hatton lose to Floyd Mayweather Jr?
Ricky suffered a TKO loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr in December 2007 in a bout for the WBC and The Ring welterweight titles.
He battled back to beat Juan Lazcano (May 2008) and Paulie Malignaggi (November 2008) following his first defeat.
But the pivotal loss to Mayweather Jr has been identified as a crucial setback in Ricky’s battle with alcohol, drugs, and depression.
And his subsequent vanquishing by Manny Pacquiao in May 2009 (before his very final match, also a loss, to Vyacheslav Senchenko in November 2012) also added to the huge pain Ricky was suffering. At the time, it was reported Ricky took home $20 million for facing Pacquiao.
Ricky Hatton on booze, drugs, and ‘trying to kill himself’
Ricky opened up in 2016: “I had suffered from depression for quite some time and a lot of things were going wrong. My mind was going up and down and for a short while there I didn’t care whether I lived or died, I tried killing myself several times.
“I’ve always liked to drink but you can’t drink, when you’ve got depression you feel all right for about an hour and then the more you do it, you just go worse and then the more and more you drink, the more depressed you get, the more you start worrying and you start looking towards other options such as drugs.
“I didn’t care who I was with, what I was doing. I didn’t care whether I lived or died and it is a very, very difficult thing.”
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How many children does Ricky Hatton have? Is he married – does he have a wife, girlfriend or partner?
Ricky is a dad-of-three. Son Campbell, 22 – shared with Ricky’s ex-girlfriend Claire – is also a boxer and has 14 pro wins under his belt. Through Campbell, Ricky is also a granddad to Lyla Nevaeh.
Ricky is also dad to daughters Millie and Fearne. The girls’ mother is Ricky’s former long-term ex-partner Jennifer Dooley, to whom he was once engaged. In the past few months, reports have also linked Ricky in recent years to Marie Pollard, beauty therapist Angela Blemmings, and model Chelsea Claire.
However, an unnamed source recently told The Sun: “Ricky and Chelsea had a great time together. But it ended up being more of a fling. They are at very different stages of their life. And Ricky is really throwing himself into training and wants to concentrate on that. Things are still really amicable and they will be friends going forward.”
Read more: Holly Willoughby ’emotional’ as she returns to spotlight in Dancing On Ice first look
Dancing On Ice 2024 begins on Sunday January 14 from 6.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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