Dame Denise Lewis has confirmed she has split from her music mogul husband Steve Finan, following their 17-year marriage.
The Olympic gold medallist, 53, announced on Tuesday in a social media post that she and Steve, 60, quietly separated two years ago.
In a statement, she wrote: ‘After much thought and consideration, Steve and I decided to separate two years ago as a couple.
‘This decision was made with mutual respect and care for one another after many meaningful years together.
‘We remain grateful for the time we shared and the wonderful children created.
‘We value the kindness and support from our family and friends over the last two years and our priority moving forward is maintaining a positive co-parenting relationship and focusing on the wellbeing of those we care about most.
‘We appreciate your understanding for privacy during this time as we move forward.’
Dame Denise Lewis, 53, has confirmed she has split from her music mogul husband Steve Finan, 60, following their 17-year marriage (pictured together in 2015)
The Olympic gold medallist announced on Tuesday in a social media post that she and Steve quietly separated two years ago
Last year, The Mail on Sunday revealed Steve, who was the late Liam Payne’s manager for seven years, moved out of the family home in Buckinghamshire where the couple lived with their three sons.
One source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It’s such a shame because they are both lovely people and were always thought of as a wonderful couple.
‘Despite trying to make it work, Steve and Denise just found themselves drifting apart from one another.
‘In the end they decided that breaking up was probably the most sensible thing to do.’
The glamorous heptathlete, who is the President of UK Athletics, did not wear her wedding ring on air throughout her stint as a pundit for the BBC’s Olympic Games coverage in the summer of 2024.
Denise first met Steve, the son of comedian Tom O’Connor, in 2000 through mutual friends at the Brit Awards when he was then a pop manager looking after Neneh Cherry, Madness and All Saints.
They met again after she split from the Belgian sprinter Patrick Stevens, the father of her daughter Lauryn, and began dating.
In 2017 to celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary, Denise wrote on Instagram: ‘Thank you to all my friends and family who have been there for us through the good and not so easy times, but the biggest thank you goes to my “Man of Steel”… it’s a good job you like a challenge.’
Last year, The Mail on Sunday revealed Steve, who was the late Liam Payne’s manager for seven years, moved out of the family home in Buckinghamshire (pictured in 2022)
Steve (L) pictured with the late Liam Payne. Liam, 31, was a regular visitor to the couple’s home in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, and later bought a mansion less than a mile away
One year later, in an interview when Denise was pregnant with the couple’s third child, Steve said: ‘Denise is an amazing mum and she loves babies. I’ve told her she needs to open a birthing suite if she wants any more.’
They went on to welcome three sons: Ryan, 19, Kane, 16, and Troy, seven. Denise is also a proud mum to Lauryn, 22, with ex Patrick Stevens.
Denise was 46 when Troy was born. She admitted that ‘he was a huge surprise,’ telling ITV’s Lorraine Kelly: ‘We thought we were past going for another. I thought I was entering menopause and, lo and behold, there he was!’
She told the Daily Mail this year that the main difference between having a baby at 46 and one at 29 is the confidence to do it her way.
For instance, she insisted that her husband would sleep in a separate room and deal solely with the elder boys; she would focus on bonding with Troy and getting some rest and be back at work in two months.
‘I wanted a clear head. Good energy,’ she explained. ‘And it worked a treat.’
Denise is one of Britain’s most decorated athletes.
She won the gold medal in the heptathlon in the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and a bronze in the same competition four years before in Atlanta.
