Claire Sweeney stuns in a white jumpsuit as she joins Gemma Merna at Ella Sera’s third birthday lunch – after boyfriend Ricky Hatton discussed their ‘amazing’ romance

Claire Sweeney dazzled in a white jumpsuit, while chic Gemma Merna mirrored her in the same red ensemble as they attended Elle Sera’s 3rd birthday luncheon at The Ivy restaurant in Manchester.

The 53-year-old Dancing On Ice star grinned from ear to ear as she made her radiant appearance, shortly after her boyfriend and former boxer Ricky Hatton described their blossoming romance as “amazing” during a candid chat.

The fitted, short-sleeved garment accentuated Claire’s toned curves, and she was accessorised with a gold zip and matching belt at Tuesday’s event.

She completed the look with a white clutch and glittering open platform heels, and wore a stunning silver cross necklace.

Elsewhere, 40-year-old former Hollyoaks star Gemma looked cheerful as she flashed a graceful beam.

The actress showed off her slim figure in the red jumpsuit and added some dainty jewelry to the outfit, including a series of rings, bracelets and a necklace.

She completed the look with a pair of open, nude wedges and accentuated her natural look with a au naturel makeup palette.

Former boxer Ricky, 45, and the coronation Street actresses have become increasingly popular in recent months after starring in Dancing On Ice last year, MailOnline revealed on Tuesday.

Ricky says he’s known Claire for about 25 years, but their romance only started when they both starred on the ITV show.

In an exclusive interview with First class casinoRicky said, “I didn’t go any further Dancing on ice to find romance I went there hoping I wouldn’t break my neck.

“I’ve known Claire for a while. I’ve met her at a few parties and different events over the years. Every time we spoke, we clicked and got along well.

‘We both ended up training in Altrincham, Claire’s on Coronation Street and she’s from Liverpool so we always trained together.

“We hit it off right away when we were training for the skating. And when we traveled to London where the show was actually taking place, we hit it off even better.”

Ricky said he knew he had “half a chance” of courting Claire because they had gotten along so well in the past when he had talked to her.

“When I saw her go out on the ice, I knew she was single. And I knew I was single,” he said.

‘I knew how well we got along every time we met, I probably thought I had half a chance.

Ricky added: ‘Itit’s amazing [to find] someone you’ve probably known for 25 years. I’ve had relationships and she’s had relationships. I’ve had my children and she’s had her children. And then, 25 years later, we found each other. It’s a really beautiful story.’

In Dancing On Ice, Ricky was paired with skater Robin Johnstone and was unfortunately the first to be eliminated.

Claire was partnered with male skater Colin Grafton and followed Ricky just two weeks later, becoming the third celebrity to be eliminated. It wasn’t all bad news though, as Ricky had already started pursuing her.

When asked if Ricky would do a reality competition again, he replied: “I will definitely watch a program like Dancing On Ice again.

‘Even though I’m retired, I keep myself busy and that’s what I’ve been doing for the last two years. If there was another show, I would definitely watch it because even though I was out in the first round, I enjoyed it.”

Before Ricky, Claire hadn’t been on a date since Christmas 2023 and joked that she might be following in her grandmother’s footsteps. Claire claims she didn’t find the love of her life until she was 86.

Claire’s last long-term romance was with Daniel Reilly, with whom she has an eight-year-old son, Jaxon. The couple split in 2017.

In his early twenties, Ricky had a brief relationship with a woman known only as Claire. With her, he had son Campbell Hatton, a boxer, on January 9, 2001.

Ricky had his longest relationship with Jennifer Dooley, from 2005 to 2016.

Jennifer was present at some of the highlights of his career, seeing him win or retain several world titles and being present at his MBE presentation in the 2007 New Year Honours.

Ricky proposed to her on Valentine’s Day 2009.

He named the couple’s Cheshire home the ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, after the Elvis Presley hit.

In 2010, Irish boxing champion Emma Bowe told the Mirror about how she had an 11-month affair with the boxer after getting his autograph in Dublin.

Jennifer and Hatton endured a turbulent period after the fighter’s retirement in 2012, with him moving in and out of their £3million home several times.

A row while on holiday in December 2013 led to Ricky leaving. A few months later, in June 2014, he moved for a second time after going AWOL on a drunken trip to Lanzarote.

But the turbulent year ended in the New Year, when they went on holiday to Tenerife with their two daughters, Millie, 11, and Fearne, 10.

In 2016, however, a series of drunken nights out put an end to Ricky’s 11-year relationship with Jennifer for good, with him being photographed looking miserable as he partied with other girls in his arms.

He said of Jennifer: ‘It’s really annoying when you’re in such a long relationship and then it ends.

“I can’t deny that I’ve had a hard time at times.”