Michael Flatley’s 20-year love story with ‘soulmate’ wife Niamh who stuck by him through his wild partying days and brutal cancer battle – as she passes away aged 52

DAILYMAIL.COM • 1d ago

By AMELIA WYNNE, SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER 00:23 07 Oct 2026, updated 00:23 07 Oct 2026

It has been a heartbreaking week for performer Michael Flatley who announced the sad death of his wife Niamh on Monday.

The pair – who both grew up dancing – spent 20 years together before she passed away in Dublin ‘following a period of illness’.

The Lord Of The Dance star, 68, has made his devotion to Niamh clear over the years, describing her as his ‘best friend’ and ‘soulmate’, as well as praising her ‘courage’ for nursing him through his cancer battle and putting up with his partying ways.

Michael and Niamh had known each other for more than a decade before they got together romantically – after Michael realised at a Christmas party they attended in 2005 that what they had was more than friendship.

He has previously said of that moment: ‘Something just clicked. Looking back, I think I realised I loved her in that moment. I caught her eye and she took my breath away.

‘I couldn’t stop putting my arm around her all night. It felt different. Much stronger than friendship.’

As 2006 went by the pair spent more and more time together, with the Irish dance star soon realising ‘there was no way I could let this woman go’.

Just four months later they married in Fermoy, County Cork, before welcoming their son Michael Saint James, now 19, in 2007.

The lavish wedding celebration was attended by around 250 guests who enjoyed a six-course meal and Champagne, while the bride wore a custom Badgley Mischka gown.

And their marriage was built on a solid base of friendship – with the pair meeting more than a decade before tying the knot thanks to the dance world.

Niamh, originally from County Meath, was an accomplished Irish dancer in her own right and competed at an elite level as a teenager and placed fourth in the World Irish Dancing Championships at the age of 17.

She subsequently became a professional performer and was part of the original Riverdance era, including the famous 1994 Eurovision interval performance.

She later performed in Michael Flatley productions including Feet Of Flames and Celtic Tiger, and played the lead character Saoirse in Lord Of The Dance. They first met on the set of Riverdance in 1993.

And it’s clear that their shared passions stood them in good stead for a successful marriage.

In an interview on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2013, Michael again described his wife as his ‘best friend’.

He said: ‘She is highly intelligent. She is my best friend. She is extraordinarily beautiful, inside and out. I am proud to be her husband. I am blessed to have her. She is a loyal true blue.’

The star also credits starting a family with Niamh for turning his life around after years of being stuck in his partying ways.

He told the Daily Mail in 2009: ‘Five years ago, when 6am rolled round, I was just getting the key in the front door from a big night out.

‘I was on the road all the time, chasing women, out drinking with my buddies and living the bachelor life. Now 6am comes and Michael is jumping on my tummy shouting at me to rebuild the track for Thomas the Tank Engine.

‘It’s a different world. When I come home in the evening, he comes running up to me shouting ‘Daddy, Daddy!’ squeezing me so tight I can barely breathe. It doesn’t get any better than that.’

He has also admitted that his wild ways often had an impact on her but that she stuck by him regardless.

Michael said previously: ‘She put me in the car drunk so many times and made sure I got home safely. She knows how bad I can get, and yet she still loves me.’

Michael has also spoken about finding happiness again with Niamh following the breakdown of his first marriage.

HIs first wife was Polish makeup and hair stylist Beata Dziaba. They married in 1986 and divorced in 1997.

During their marriage, Michael fell in love with 19-year-old dancer Kelley Byrne – and has previously described the affair as a ‘bolt from the blue’.

For Michael some of his other tough times would come due to his health – and he has previously praised Niamh for being his rock during his battle with cancer.

The dancer was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2003 and subsequently underwent surgery for an aggressive, undisclosed form of cancer in January 2023.

Speaking to the Irish Independent last year, he said: ‘I was haemorrhaging and convulsing on a hospital bed and I kept passing out. They couldn’t give me the painkillers necessary.

‘There were some wonderful nurses that were trying to help me, but they were invisible to me because of the pain, but I will never forget opening my eyes one of the times that I came to, and my wife was there.

‘And my wife was smiling. Can you imagine the courage from my wife, to put on a smile in that position? The courage that took?’

Niamh and Michael were last seen in public together in August, celebrating Michael Smurfit’s 90th birthday in Monaco.

His cancer battle hasn’t been the only turbulent time Niamh has stood by his side for.

Earlier this year in January, Michael was sued by entertainment firm Switzer Consulting Ltd for an alleged breach of contract regarding the management of his Lord of the Dance tour.

At the Chancery Court in the Royal Courts of Justice, Mr Justice Simpson discharged a temporary injunction that had been secured against the dancer and choreographer.

While victory was soon secured for Michael – it took a toll on his personal life and threatened to derail the production’s 30th anniversary tour.

Switzer Consulting had taken legal action in the civil case against Michael for alleged breach of contract, relating to an agreement the firm says would allow it to run the dance shows.

Switzer previously secured a temporary injunction to stop him from interfering with the shows.

Michael’s lawyers argued the programme was in danger of ‘falling apart’ without his involvement.

The legal dispute hinged on a terms of service agreement under which Michael transferred intellectual property rights for Lord Of The Dance to Switzer.

They were then in turn required to provide business management services to Flatley, including accounts and payroll.

For this, Flatley agreed to pay the company £35,000 per month for the first 24 months, rising to £40,000 a month thereafter.

Other turbulent times came for Michael in 2002 following the breakdown of his first marriage. His world was turned upside down by being falsely accused of rape.

Tyna Marie Robertson, a real estate agent, alleged the Riverdance star had raped her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2002 and threatened to file a sexual assault lawsuit unless he agreed to pay a ‘seven figures’ settlement, according to court papers.

Police declined to press criminal charges and Michael said the sex was consensual. Tyna then filed a £16million civil sexual assault lawsuit in Illinois but it later was dismissed.

After a lengthy four-year legal battle, Tyna was ordered to pay Michael £5.2million in damages in 2007 for extortion, intentional infliction of emotional distress and defamation.

In his book, Michael admitted: ‘I can’t even describe how it affected me.’

The year before the trial came to an end, Michael married Niamh.

Their love story came to a devastating end this week as he announced that she had passed away at the age of 52.

He shared a heartbreaking statement on his Instagram page on Monday evening as he asked fans to keep his family in their prayers.

Niamh passed away peacefully at the Beacon Hospital in Dublin, ‘following a period of illness,’ a representative said. No specific cause of death has been made public.

Michael shared a series of photographs of Niamh including one of the couple on their wedding day and another with their son.

His statement read: ‘My heart is broken. I have lost my beautiful wife, Niamh, and my best friend. My gorgeous bride of twenty 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.

‘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.’

According to the Irish Independent, Niamh had been unwell for several years and was only hours away from being flown to the US for specialist treatment.

Niamh had been battling ill health, with Michael reportedly spending ‘every waking hour’, caring for his wife.

A statement from Michael’s representative added: ‘[The Flatley and O’Brien families] 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.’

Friends say Michael has been ‘left distraught, devastated and utterly grief stricken’.

Fans of the Riverdance star offered their condolences in the comments section of his post, including one which read: ‘So sorry for your loss Michael. Sending thoughts and prayers to you all.’

Others read: ‘So sorry to read this. Thoughts and prayers’; ‘So sad’; ‘Sorry for your loss and condolences to all of your family, may she RIP’; ‘Heartbreaking. She was gorgeous inside and out. All our love to your son. Shine bright beautiful girl. Heaven has gained an angel’; ‘Deepest condolences. Very sorry for your loss Michael, you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers’.

Despite being unwell, Niamh continued her work as part of Michael’s touring productions, working alongside costume designers, service providers and dancers.

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