Dancing on Ice star Brianne Delcourt has told Hello! magazine that she is leaving the ITV show after 10 years as she and fiancé Kevin Kilbane look to their life together in her native Canada with her three-year-old daughter Gracie.
The professional skater and former Republic of Ireland footballer Kilbane began a whirlwind romance after they were paired-up for this year's Dancing on Ice. They became engaged after four months of dating, when Kilbane popped the question during a night out.
The couple had planned to tie the knot in September or October in Co Mayo, where Kilbane's late father was born, but due to the Covid-19 emergency their Irish wedding has been postponed until next year.
In an exclusive interview in the new issue of Hello!, Delcourt explains that leaving Dancing on Ice "has been a back-and-forth question mark in my mind for some time now".
Dancing on Ice star Brianne Delcourt announces she's quitting the show after 10 years https://t.co/sWjVrJttM3
— HELLO! (@hellomag) July 19, 2020
"The hardest part will be missing my DoI family and I have so much to thank the show for, including introducing me to my absolute soulmate in Kevin," she continues.
Delcourt says she told Dancing on Ice a number of weeks ago that she was leaving and that the show has been "super supportive".
Looking to the future, she tells Hello! readers that "one hundred per cent we are going to get married in Ireland with a dream castle still on the cards".
"My life is here with Kevin and Gracie," she adds. "I've made the right decision. I'll always skate and perform when I can and you may see me again. But as for now, I'm taking a break from it all to fulfil my other passion and dream – which is my family."
Kilbane, who also played for English football clubs Everton, West Bromwich Albion, Coventry City and Sunderland, among others, has two teenage daughters from his previous marriage, Elsie and Isla.
The full interview with Delcourt and Kilbane is in the new issue of Hello!.
