Homes Under the Hammer host Dion Dublin's rarely-seen wife and family heartbreak

02 January 2024 , 09:50

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Dion Dublin was once a Manchester United footballer before he retired and took up television presenting (Image: BBC)

Homes Under the Hammer host Dion Dublin has become one of the most recognisable faces on television, though fans may know little about his life away from the cameras.

The 54-year-old presenter and pundit has enjoyed a long and varied career in football and TV, from playing for Manchester United to starring on Celebrity MasterChef and presenting the beloved BBC home renovation show. The Leicester-born star is also a father and husband, and often shares glimpses into his family life on social media.

Dion tied the knot with his wife Cheryl in 2017 and they share a beautiful three-year-old daughter called Ruby Roseanne. The trio enjoy jetting off on holidays together and Dion posts snaps on Instagram of them dining out for meals, jetting off on planes, and having wholesome days out, like visiting an alpaca farm and watching the Women's World Cup.

Former footballer Dion has been married to wife Cheryl since 2017 (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

The couple share a young daughter called Ruby Roseanne (DAILY MIRROR)

In 2018, Dion gave a rare insight into his personal life with the Mirror and how he enjoys to spend his weekends with Cheryl. "If the weather's right then I'd always stay in the UK. I love getting away with my wife and dog," he said, adding that his favourite Sunday breakfast is a full English. "My wife's a better cook than me by a million miles. She does most of the cooking as I'm out at work, and always makes sure I'm fed and watered," he said.

Dion is incredibly close to his loved ones and devastatingly lost the 'heartbeat and backbone' of his family in July 2022. He shared the news his 'amazing sister Carmen' had sadly passed away by posting a photo of himself alongside his late sibling and his three brothers, Eddie, Clem and Ash, with the message: "Yesterday we lost our amazing sister Carmen, the heartbeat and backbone to our family. Our hearts are truly broken, we will be lost without you."

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The year prior, Dion told the Mirror about the close bond he shares with his family and recalled treasured memories of their time together. The youngest of five siblings, both of Dion's parents came to England from the West Indies as part of the Windrush generation. While late mum Rose worked as a district nurse, dad Eddie - who's now in his 80s - had the option to be a professional footballer.

Dion tragically lost his older sister Carmen last year and said she was the 'heartbeat and backbone' of his family (TWITTER)

"At one point, my dad had a choice whether to sign pro-forms for Fulham or go on tour," Dion said in August 2021. "That was the choice. Go professional or go on tour as a bass player with Rod Stewart. It was a pretty amazing choice to have. He chose to go on tour with Rod Stewart. Music was closer to his heart. He still plays now. He's 82 and he's still playing bass in a reggae band."

The Celebrity Masterchef star continued: "We all play music. I play percussion, my mum [Rose], when she was alive, played the mandolin and we've got Clem who plays lead guitar. Eddie plays drums, Ash, my eldest brother is a bass player and Carmen used to play the keyboards. I think if I'd taken up percussion earlier I might have gone for it... Percussion is my passion when it comes to music, and it's something that's come straight down from Mum and Dad."

Prior to becoming a recognisable face on television, Dion plied his trade in the Premiership - playing for Manchester United, Coventry City and Aston Villa during his time in the top flight of English football. Upon his retirement from professional sport, Dion joined the presenting team on Homes Under the Hammer in 2015 - in addition to regularly working as a pundit for Football Focus, Match of the Day and other BBC Sport programmes.

Nia Dalton