One former Strictly star has revealed that he and his Emmerdale actress girlfriend had broken up, by confirming to fans that he is single and blaming a unique issue in the relationship
13:40, 05 Nov 2025Updated 15:24, 05 Nov 2025
HRVY, who appeared on Strictly, admitted he is now single(Image: PA)
A former Strictly Come Dancing star has revealed he’s single again, as he and his Emmerdale actress girlfriend secretly split. The star took to social media to share the news and blamed a unique external factor that may have made their relationship ’embarrassing’.
Singer HRVY, whose real name is Harvey Leigh Cantwell, hopped on TikTok to share that he and ex-Emmerdale star Mimi Slinger had broken up. In a now-deleted video posted to the app, 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.”
The article in question is titled Is Having A Boyfriend Embarrassing Now? and was published by British Vogue in late October. The article’s primary message was that it was “no longer considered an achievement to have a boyfriend” and that women are less likely to showcase their partner on social media. However, it received backlash for what some saw as encouragement for women to be single and shaming of women who are in relationships.
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HRVY and Mimi Slinger may have broken up(Image: Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty Im)
He blamed a recent Vogue article for his break-up(Image: @HRVY/TikTok)
HRVY had been dating Mimi Slinger, who is best known for playing Leanna Cavanagh on Emmerdale. The couple got together in 2021 after meeting at the National Television Awards.
The singer has previously said that it was nice that they were both in the entertainment industry, as it mean they got “to see each other all the time”.
“We get to see each other all the time,” he told The Sun. “It’s a nice balance and because we’re both in the industry we both understand, so it’s easy.” However, the two do seem to have split up.
The 26-year-old singer released his first song, Thank You, in 2013, aged only 14. He went on to be a support act for acts such as Little Mix and Conor Maynard. He also appeared on several CBBC TV shows such as Friday Download and Chicken Girls.
HRVY blamed a recent Vogue article for his breakup(Image: Daily Mirror)
He was on Strictly with Janette Manara(Image: PA)
In 2020, he joined BBC dance competition show Strictly Come Dancing. Partnered with Janette Manara, he reached the final and finished second, after Oti Mabuse and Bill Bailey won. He was Janette’s last partner, as she stepped down from the show after that.
Mimi, meanwhile, started on Emmerdale in 2018 and left in 2021, going on to be in a short film called Path to Ecstasy and in one episode of Masters Of The Air.
On Emmerdale, she played Leanne Cavanagh, the daughter of Jonny McPherson’s Liam. Her storylines included an on-off relationship with Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant) and a rivalry with Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham). Ultimately, the character was killed off, as she was murdered by serial killer Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu).
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