Judge of Dancing On Ice Ashley Banjo announced he had split from his wife and childhood sweetheart Francesca in December 2022.
The pair exchanged vows in Essex in 2015 but had been together for 16 years. However, their marriage came to an end when they revealed in a statement that they were to divorce and had secretly been separated for a while.
Ashley and Francesca share two children — Rose and Micah.
‘People just move in different directions’
In a joint statement, Ashley and Francesca revealed they “took the difficult decision” to separate.
“After being together for over 16 years, since we were teenagers, this is not a decision that has been taken lightly,” they explained.
“Sometimes after so many years people just move in different directions,” they added. “We continue to try and be both the best parents possible and the best of friends to each other.”
‘My children are my priority’
After revealing that his marriage to Francesca had ended, Ashley opened up for the first time in April 2023.
“At the end of the day, for me when it comes to life my children are my priority and looking after my family and my babies and making sure they’re happy and their lives are good is number one,” he told the MailOnline.
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Fans were less than impressed with Ashley’s nickname for Francesca
When Francesca turned 36 last year, she uploaded a glamorous snapshot of herself to celebrate her birthday.
In the comments section, ex-husband Ashley wished the mother of his children well, writing, “Happy birthday dude x.”
However, fans were turned off by him referring to Francesca as “dude” and felt a certain way about his ‘sore’ comment.
Francesca, on the other hand, clapped back at the negativity and defended Ashley. She said: “For those of you who wish to comment in outrage. This is what we’ve called each other for over a decade and a half. But your input is very much appreciated.”
Francesca still supports Ashley’s career
Despite being split for some time now, Francesca and Ashley appear to be on very good terms.
Currently, Ashley is touring the UK with his dance group Diversity, who won Britain’s Got Talent.
Sadly, due to Ashley suffering an injury during the matinee performance, the group was left with no choice but to postpone their evening Sheffield show.
“We’re all absolutely gutted about tonight’s show in Sheffield… I’m currently struggling to walk let alone dance with the injury, hence why we have had to postpone so close to the show,” Ashley explained on Instagram.
“But we’re doing our best to work it out and get the shows back on track as soon as we can.”
Francesca took to the comments section to share her support, posting two praying hands emojis.
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