Ashley Banjo and his wife Francesca have called time on their relationship after 16 years together.
The Diversity star, 34, and his wife of seven years Francesca shared the sad news in a joint statement on Instagram, where they revealed they'd split 18 months ago after "much thought and consideration".
Ashley and Francesca said their main focus is now their two young children – Rose, three, and Micah, two – and they continued to be best friends and "the best parents possible".
The pair had been together since they were teenagers and dated for 10 years before tying the knot in 2015 surrounded by their loved ones in Essex.
Here we take a look into their love story and family life…
Who is Ashley Banjo's wife?
Francesca is a dancer and showbiz talent manager. She works for Diversity Management Team and was all-female dance troupe Out Of The Shadows.
The group have performed at large events and represented brands such as Adidas and River Island, and Ashley has created choreography for them on several occasions.
On the all female group's Facebook page it reads: "Out Of The Shadows have the same work ethos and history as the guys of Diversity, and they are choreographed by Ashley Banjo, lead dancer and choreographer of Diversity.
"Their performance is dynamic, entertaining and most importantly, memorable."
How long were Ashley and Francesca together?
Ashley and Francesca had been together for over 16 years, with their first date happening in 2005, and it sounds adorable.
The Dancing On Ice Judge revealed on Instagram last year: "14 years ago I couldn't drive, so I took this girl on a date to the science museum to try and make her laugh and impress her with how much I knew about the nerdiest subjects possible instead."
When did Ashley and Francesca marry?
The couple tied the knot in 2015, in a gorgeous Essex ceremony surrounded by many famous faces including, of course, members of Diversity.
Ashley and Francesca had been together for 10 years before tying the knot, and shared a string of photographs from their special day on social media.
Do Ashley and Francesca have children?
The dancers are proud parents to two children; a three year old daughter called Rose and two year old son called Micah Grace.
Micah was born in March 2020, at the start of lockdown, and Ashley shared the news on Instagram explaining his birth was a "ray of light".
The star wrote: "On Thursday the 26th March at 6.45pm our son came into the world weighing a healthy 8lbs 15oz. His name is Micah Grace Banjo…
"Our son, our little ray of light in a dark and uncertain time. @francescabanjo and I love him with the deepest part of our hearts."
With two under two the parents are undoubtedly kept very busy!
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When did Ashley and Francesca split?
In December 2022, Ashley and Francesca announced that they'd made the "difficult decision" to call time on their 16-year relationship.
The pair released a joint statement on social media announcing their split, which had happened 18 months prior to the news breaking.
The statement read: "After much thought and consideration we both feel now is the time to share some personal news.
"Nearly 18 months ago we 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.
"It has not been easy and the processing of the situation has not been fast by any means. But we feel that as we approach the new year it is time to share this news with others.
"Our main focus will always be our beautiful children. Every decision that has been made is to make sure we can continue as a loving family and give the very best of ourselves as parents.
"Raising Rose and Micah in a healthy and happy environment is the most important thing to both of us.
The pair explained that they had moved in "different directions" as the lengthy statement went on: "Sometimes after so many years people just move in different directions, but we do so lovingly and we continue to try and be both the best parents possible and the best of friends to each other.
"We have always been private with our personal lives, so we kindly ask that everyone please continue to respect that privacy. We won't be making any further comment on the situation."
The pair concluded: "Thank you… Lots of Love Ash and Chess x."
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