RTE star Loraine Barry has shared a touching tribute to her former husband Andrew Sinkinson.
The celebrity judge married Andrew in 1989 when she was just 24 until they divorced in 1993.
Andrew, who was Loraine’s first husband and dance partner, sadly passed away earlier this week.
The 60-year-old took to her Instagram today to share a touching tribute to her former husband.
Loraine posted an image of the pair from their days as an award-winning dancing duo.
Loraine wore a stunning white dress, while Andrew was dressed up in a tuxedo for the dance.
She wrote in her tribute: “The pain is real. RIP Andrew.
“I’m sorry, I will not be teaching this week. Time is needed to see loved ones, show my respect and come to terms with a huge loss.
“My sincere condolences to Irina, Andrew’s wife, his children Mark and Sophie and his mother Norah. RIP ANDREW.”
He was her first dance partner and following their divorce, the pair’s professional relationship lasted an additional 18 months.
She explained it was very difficult for them to remain as dance partners after breaking up – and it was made even harder by their teachers.
They split up as dance partners after Loraine was asked not to return to the dance studio by a teacher.
She said: “Certain teachers didn’t want me to split up with Andrew and they wanted me to dance with him. In the end they asked me not to come back to the studio.”
Loraine opened up about how their marriage came to an end in an emotional episode of RTE’s Keys To My Life.
She said: “It is sad the way it ended. I can remember being in this bedroom and getting out of the bed at 4am and leaving with the car keys and driving because he got a phone call during the night and I couldn’t cope with it.
“Another woman, yeah. Definitely. I answered it, of course, and this was really the breaking point between us.
TURBULENT MARRIAGE
“For me, it was like everything was falling down around me and everyone wanted us to continue dancing together so I was prepared to try but it just became too difficult. I just couldn’t do it.
“There were times of craziness.”
Only months after their devastating divorce, Loraine met her second husband Luca Baricchi.