Andrew Ridgeley's Dating History: From Keren Woodward to Amanda Cronin

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Former Wham! member Andrew Ridgeley dated Bananarama singer Keren Woodward for nearly three decades and was most recently linked to Amanda Cronin

<p>Jeremy Craine/Shutterstock, Karwai Tang/WireImage</p>

Jeremy Craine/Shutterstock, Karwai Tang/WireImage

As one-half of the popular pop duo Wham!, Andrew Ridgeley has been in the spotlight for decades.

At the peak of the group’s popularity, he dated Wham! backup singer Shirlie Kemp (née Holliman) for two years in the 1980s, whom he and bandmate George Michael knew from school. Most prominently, Ridgeley dated Bananarama singer Keren Woodward from 1990 to 2017. Following their split, the singer briefly dated model Amanda Cronin before the pair went their separate ways in May 2023.

Related: Andrew Ridgeley Says Wham! Bandmate George Michael&#39;s Death &#39;Hit Me Like a Punch to the Gut&#39;

While Ridgeley has kept his relationships fairly private through the years, he has been vocal about his lifelong friendship with Michael as well as the impact Michael's sudden death in 2016 had on him.

"Despite the pain of his death, George is still very much alive in my memory today,” Ridgeley wrote in his 2019 memoir Wham! George Michael & Me. “A few years on from that tragic Christmas, I’ll sometimes catch myself thinking of our friendship and those years together as young kids in Wham! ... And more often than not I’ll remember the laughs we enjoyed together when we were on our own in a bar, or backstage, or traveling, chatting over a beer, or messing around just in each other’s company. When it was just the two of us.”

From his Wham! days to now, here's a look back at Andrew Ridgeley's past relationships.

Shirlie Kemp

<p>Pete Still/Redferns</p>

Pete Still/Redferns

Ridgeley and Shirlie Kemp (then Holliman) were in a relationship for two years at the height of Wham!'s fame. Shirlie served as backup singer and dancer for the group, having known both Ridgeley and Michael before they began collaborating professionally.

In 1997, Kemp told The Independent, “George used to make up all these dance routines which we'd do in nightclubs; we were either great or so bad that everybody cleared the floor. Wham! started out as an extension of the dance routines. George was the organiser, Andrew had all the charisma — I went out with Andrew for two years. My mum adored both of them.”

Following her breakup with Ridgeley, Kemp was introduced to bassist Marcus Kemp by Michael, and the two musicians have now been married for over 35 years. The Pepsi & Shirlie singer and Ridgeley have remained close to this day as friends and collaborators. Most recently, the two appeared on The Graham Norton Show to promote Wham!'s 40th-anniversary album.

Jackie St. Clair

<p>John Stillwell/PA Images via Getty, Ron Galella/Getty</p>

John Stillwell/PA Images via Getty, Ron Galella/Getty

Model Jackie St. Clair has had relationships with a few famous men, including Simon Cowell and Ridgeley. She and Ridgeley reportedly had a short-lived romance in 1985, according to the Daily Mail.

In July 2022, the exes posed for photos together at her husband Carl Michaelson's Summer Party in London. St. Clair and Ridgeley were pictured smiling with Ridgeley's then-girlfriend Cronin.

Donya Fiorentino

<p>Dave Hogan/Getty</p>

Dave Hogan/Getty

While it's unclear how long Donya Fiorentino and Ridgeley were in a relationship or how serious their romance was, the pair were introduced after Fiorentino, who worked as a model as a teen, moved to London to pursue more work.

An interview in Florida Key Treasures explains, “She moved to London first as a teenager and met Andrew Ridgeley, a member of music group Wham! and a Formula 1 race car driver. She lived with him in Monte Carlo for a while; she also lived in Tokyo.”

The pair were photographed together on a few occasions in 1985 and 1986, including at the model's birthday party at Stringfellows nightclub in London.

Following their relationship, Fiorentino went on to marry — and later divorce — Gary Oldman.

Keren Woodward

<p>Getty</p>

Getty

Ridgeley’s most significant relationship was with Bananarama lead singer Keren Woodward. The pair, who were together for 25 years, split in 2017.

The breakup caught a lot of fans by surprise. Per Cornwall Live, the two began living together in 1994 when they moved into a converted barn house in Cornwall, England, with Woodward’s young son.

Despite the end of their long-term relationship, Woodward told the outlet in 2017 that the two were maintaining a friendship. “Yes, we’ve gone our separate ways, these things happen, unfortunately, but we still speak," she said. "In fact, I saw him recently when I was back home; we still both live in Cornwall. He’s actually coming to quite a few of the dates on the Bananarama tour.”

In December 2019, Woodward and Ridgeley were photographed by the Daily Mail walking together and holding hands in London, sparking rumors that they had reconciled. However, Woodward quickly denied the speculation and told the outlet that they were simply friends.

“We get on. But I haven’t seen him for a couple of months. He spends most of his time in London,” she told the Daily Mail in an interview.

Amanda Cronin

<p>Richard Young/Shutterstock</p>

Richard Young/Shutterstock

In the summer of 2022, Ridgeley revealed that he and Bavarian model Amanda Cronin were in a relationship. Cronin had previously been married to businessman Mark Daeche, whom she divorced in 2019.

Ridgeley and Cronin attended Wimbledon together in June 2022. The following month, they attended Carl Michaelson's Summer Party in London, posing for photos with Ridgeley's ex St. Clair.

By May 2023, however, the couple had broken up. Cronin commented on the split in an interview with the Daily Mail, explaining, “I'm grateful for the time we've had together — he's smart, funny, sexy and cool. Andrew is such a phenomenal guy, but I don't think he's really relationship material, although he has been in a very long relationship. I will get married again, and it won't be to Andrew.”

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