Strictly star confirms split from Emmerdale actress with 'embarrassing' post

A former Strictly Come Dancing star has confirmed the end of his relationship, after being romantically involved with an Emmerdale actress for four years. Singer HRVY joined that star-studded BBC dancefloor in 2020, where he was paired with professional turned host, Janette Manrara. Together, they finished in a three-way tie for second place alongside reality star Jamie Laing and EastEnders star Maisie Smith. The singer, born Harvey Leigh Cantwell, announced to fans that he was single again following a split with Mimi Slinger, who starred on the ITV soap as the troublesome Leanna Cavanagh.

In his cryptic TikTok post, the 26-year-old opened up about his split and the "embarrassing" reason behind their parting ways. In the now-deleted clip, HRVY filmed himself looking deep in thought and giving the camera a thumbs up. Over the top of the video, he wrote: "I'm now single... I blame that Vogue article." This comes after the article titled "Is Having a Boyfriend Embarrassing Now?" made waves across social media and sparked a major conversation with readers worldwide.

The article written by Chanté Joseph questioned if being with a man is now an "almost guilty thing to do".

It also explored the many different reasons why women wanted to keep their romances secret, as the writer admitted to muting her own contacts' social media posts as soon as they mention a boyfriend, knowing their output would become male-focused.

In the story, one interviewee said that she never shared her 12-year relationship and feels relieved as they recently split up, and she doesn't have to live with a public digital record of their relationship.

Meanwhile, HRVY and Mimi were very public about the romance after initially meeting at the National Television Awards red carpet in 2021.

Their romance blossomed just months after HRVY split from Maisie, whom he'd dated after meeting on the set of Strictly Come Dancing.

A source told The Sun at the time: "HRVY and Mimi are completely loved up. Things are pretty serious between them. They both know each other's families and their friends have met."

The singer has previously dished on their relationship and said that it was nice that they were both in the entertainment industry, as it meant they got "to see each other all the time".

"We get to see each other all the time," HRVY added. "It's a nice balance, and because we're both in the industry, we both understand, so it's easy."