Rachel Stevens has broken her public silence following the announcement of her split from Dancing On Ice professional Brendyn Hatfield, sharing a series of Instagram posts that referenced "poor behaviour, gaslighting, unkindness and manipulation."
The S Club 7 singer, 47, and the 40-year-old pro skater, who were partnered on the ITV show in 2022, confirmed earlier this week that they had ended their three-year relationship. The couple went public in November 2023 after being paired together on Dancing On Ice.
Alongside a recent photograph of herself, Stevens posted a string of motivational and reflective captions that alluded to difficult personal experiences. Among the lines she shared were: "Everything happens for a reason. The highs. The lows. The wins, the losses. The people who come in and the ones who leave." Another read, "Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that we are not responsible for other people’s poor behavior toward us, or their gaslighting, or their manipulation, or their unkindness. What’s on you is how you choose to respond, set boundaries, know your worth..."
A friend told The Sun that the split was "incredibly sad and a relatively recent thing," and that both Stevens and Hatfield "felt there was no way forward for them." According to the friend, Stevens spent time in Marbella with her two daughters to find "much-needed headspace" while Hatfield and his son moved out of the family home and into a flat. The friend said there remained "a lot of affection, and no regrets," and that both wanted to avoid arguing in front of their children, who they said remain a priority.
Stevens and Hatfield first worked together on Dancing On Ice in 2022. The relationship became public in late 2023, and Stevens posted online in January calling Hatfield her "soulmate and love" while celebrating his 40th birthday. Prior to her relationship with Hatfield, Stevens was married to real estate agent and actor Alex Bourne from 2009 until their divorce was finalised in 2022.
Publication of Stevens’ recent posts follows the pair's confirmation of their split earlier this week amid reports that they had "drifted apart and were struggling to reconcile their blended family." The Instagram posts included several statements emphasising self-worth, boundaries and personal growth, including: "For the right people you won't need to perform to keep your seat at the table... Grateful for everything that forced me to love myself more," and "Peace is the new luxury. Create a life you can't wait to wake up to."
Representatives for Stevens and Hatfield did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The split marks a high-profile end to a relationship that began in the public eye through a popular entertainment programme and that intertwined the partners' family lives.
Stevens rose to fame as a member of the pop group S Club 7 and has performed as a solo artist and on television. Hatfield is a professional skater who has appeared on Dancing On Ice. Both have kept family matters largely private while sharing occasional public posts about family life and their relationship during the past year.
The couple's announcement and Stevens' subsequent social media posts have drawn attention for their frank tone about setting boundaries and responding to difficult behaviour, while sources close to the pair emphasised an ongoing focus on their children and an absence of public acrimony as they finalise changes to their living arrangements.