Rugby legend Ugo Monye – who appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2021 – revealed that he had separated from his wife just days before the start of the series.
Ugo, 42, and wife Lucy decided to go public with their split ahead of the series launch to avoid being labelled as being hit by the so-called Strictly curse. They had been married for five years and are parents to two children – Phoenix, eight, and Ruby, five.
Ugo Monye insisted there was ‘no hatred’ after split from wife
Ugo – who presents the BBC’s coverage of the Women’s Rugby World Cup this weekend (August 30) – admitted a “number” of aspects lead to them deciding to part ways.
He told The Sun at the time: “We weren’t in a volatile relationship, we never hated each other and there was no third party. Forget the Strictly curse – it’s the COVID curse! We ended up where we ended up.”
Insisting there was no animosity between them, Ugo added the former couple’s focus remains on their young daughters. He also noted that he and Lucy were even considering family holidays in the future.
‘Lockdown strain’
Ugo also indicated that lockdown pressures were in part responsible for his marriage ending.
Forget the Strictly curse – it’s the COVID curse!
He continued: “We’d had one big conversation when we put everything on the table, then smaller conversations about certain other things. So when the final decision to split was made, it wasn’t totally isolated or out of the blue.”
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Further blows for rugby legend
Following the split, in January 2025, Ugo was handed morer band news.
It was reported that his company had gone bust and, after his axe from A Question of Sport, he was on the verge of bankruptcy.
However, Ugo has continued to work for the BBC as one of the hosts of its Rugby Union Weekly podcast. He also managed to side-step his bankruptcy by signing a deal to pay off his tax debts.
The Women’s Rugby World Cup is on BBC Two on Saturday (August 30) from 11.45am.
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