My heart is broken, says Riverdance star Michael Flatley as his beloved wife Niamh O’Brien dies peacefully after illness aged 52 – just days before the couple were set to celebrate a landmark anniversary

Published: 17:49 EDT, 5 October 2026 | Updated: 17:49 EDT, 5 October 2026

Riverdance star Michael Flatley has said his ‘heart is broken’ following the death of his wife Niamh O’Brien from an illness which affected her lungs.

Ms O’Brien, 52, an Irish dancer herself and former lead performer in Lord of the Dance, had married Flatley in a lavish wedding that was celebrated at his Castlehyde mansion in Cork.

Their romance had been a whirlwind, marrying in the same year they first became a couple, but their relationship stood the test of time, and the couple had been approaching their 20th wedding anniversary on October 14.

Niamh had been a dancer on several of Flatley’s shows from the 1990s.

They had their one and only child together, Michael Saint James, the year after they tied the knot.

Ms O’Brien, a native of Co Meath, had performed in many of his shows and sources close to the couple said that there was an ‘immediate attraction’ between them.Michael

Michael Flatley and Niamh O’Brien seen together in London in 2024

In a statement last night, Flatley said: ‘My heart is broken. My gorgeous bride of 20 years has gone to the Lord in Heaven.

‘She was the most loving mother, wife and person, and our lives will never be the same without her.’

He continued: ‘Thank you for all the love and kindness you have shown us. Please keep Niamh, Michael St James and our family in your thoughts and prayers.’

A spokesman for Flatley said Ms O’Brien had passed away peacefully on Monday at the Beacon Hospital in Dublin following a period of illness.

‘Niamh was a deeply loved wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend, and her loss will be felt profoundly by her husband Michael, her son Michael St James, and her wider family and loved ones,’ she said.

‘The Flatley and O’Brien families are devastated by Niamh’s sudden passing and have asked that their privacy be respected as they come to terms with this heartbreaking loss.

The couple at a book launch in Dublin just a year before Niamh’s death

‘They express their sincere gratitude to the doctors, nurses and staff at Beacon Hospital who cared for Niamh over the past few weeks, and to everyone who has offered their kindness and support to the family.

Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course, she added.

Chicago-born Flatley, who himself was diagnosed with and underwent treatment for an aggressive form of cancer in 2023, has claimed in an ongoing action in the High Court that remediation works to Castlehyde had left his family suffering from illness.

In a sworn statement to the court, Mr Flatley said that his family have ‘all suffered ill health since moving back to Castlehyde’.

‘I believe I was one of the fittest people in Ireland, and despite the same, I developed cancer,’ he said.

The family have been living in Monaco in recent years.

Niamh and Michael first met dancing on his Riverdance show in the 1990s

The works to the Fermoy mansion, which he had bought in 1999 and poured millions of euro into restoring, followed a fire on the night of June 18, 2016.

Court of Appeal Judge Senan Allen last month noted in a ruling on pre-trial costs that Flatley had instructed his insurers, Lloyds, to take care of the restoration works, and that Lloyds hired building company Austin Newport to do this.

The judge said: ‘The plaintiff [Flatley] claims that the restoration works were defective and that the house is unhabitable, including on the basis of the alleged presence of unspecified toxins. He has quantified his claim in the estimated sum of €30 million.’

Flatley’s claims have been fully denied by all the defendants in the case.

Flatley was first married to Polish hairdresser artist Beata Dziaba for 11 years, who he met while dancing in London in 1985 with The Chieftains. He split from Ms Dziaba in 1997 after revealing he had an affair with another dancer Kelley Byrne, who was 19 at the time.

He went on to enjoy a high-profile relationship with model and socialite Lisa Murphy. Flatley popped the question to her while they were on a romantic escape in Monte Carlo in 2002 and they went on to have an on-and-off relationship until 2006.

His split from Ms Murphy became public in April 2006, and he announced his engagement to Ms O’Brien in August of that year.

Their wedding was held at St Patrick’s Church in Fermoy in County Cork. Flatley was 47 at the time and his bride was 32.

Niamh wowed the crowd in her €94,000 custom Badgley Mishka wedding dress

Hello! Magazine reported that thousands of people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the couple on their big day.

They were also fashionably late to their own wedding, as they both arrived 50 minutes late to the church.

Ms O’Brien arrived in style in his Rolls-Royce Phantom and she wowed the crowd in her €94,000 custom Badgley Mishka wedding dress. It has also been rumoured that her wedding ring cost €350,000.

Two hundred and fifty wedding guests enjoyed the reception at Castlehyde, tucking into a six-course meal which included lobster, washed down with vintage champagne.

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