Inside Ricky Hatton's family rift, kids and estranged relationship with parents; ‘I hit rock bottom’

Ricky Hatton, 46, a former domain boxing champion, was found dead at his residence. The British boxer, who won numerous world titles and was dubbed 'The Hitman' in his career, was apparently discovered at his Greater Manchester house on Sunday morning.

According to Greater Manchester Police (GMP), a corpse was found at a residence in Hyde. A GMP representative said that no suspicious circumstances exist at this time, Hello! Magazine reported.

As tributes and condolences flood in for the boxer, who retired in 2012 before openly discussing his difficulties with anxiety and drinking, here is all we know about his family life, including a strain equation with his parents.

Ricky and his parents, Carol and Ray, had a disagreement about money in 2012, which led to a fight with his father in a parking lot. He described the incident in his book, War and Peace: My Story, published in 2014, saying that his father hit him in the face during an argument.

Ricky remained alienated from his parents for years until he finally extended an olive branch.

Also Read: Ricky Hatton cause of death: What we know, and don't know about boxing legend's death?

“Ultimately, when I fell out with my parents, I hit rock bottom. I didn't care whether I lived or died, to be honest with you. A few of my school friends are the same age as me, their parents were having heart attacks, and I was going to their funerals. And I thought to myself, 'I'm 40 now, I'm at an age where our parents might not be here much longer'. So if their parents are getting ill and passing away and all that, it's not going to be long before mine go. I just made the effort to think, 'listen, you know, let bygones be bygones, leave things in the past. That's it',” Ricky said during an interview with the Manchester Evening News in 2019.

Ricky's connection with his family looked to deteriorate again in 2023, when a documentary about the ex-world champion boxer's life was aired, which included charges made by Ricky's old trainer, Billy Graham, who charged Ray of shortchanging him on fight payouts.

Ricky is survived by his three kids: Campbell (24), Millie (13), and Fearne (12). Ricky, who retired from boxing earlier this year, welcomed his first kid, Campbell, with his ex-partner Claire. He later welcomed two other children -- Millie and Fearne during his relationship with ex-fiancée Jennifer Dooley. He also had a granddaughter, Lyla.

Ricky was most recently associated with actress Claire Sweeney. They both appeared on the 2024 season of Dancing on Ice.

According to reports, the couple split up at the end of 2024. Claire spoke out to MailOnline about their separation in December last year: "I'm great - we're still friends, we were friends, we dated, and now we're friends again." It's all good."

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