Who is Irish Olympian Jack Woolley's fiancé Dave? (2025)

Jack Woolley represented Team Ireland in taekwondo at the 2024 Paris Olympics and has just finished up his impressive stint on Dancing with the Stars.

Among Jack's biggest supporters is his partner Dave, who he admits is the 'best thing' that's ever happened to him.

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The couple marked the end of DWTS in the best of ways - by getting engaged! Here's everything we know about their relationship:

Who is Jack's partner Dave?

Who is Irish Olympian Jack Woolley's fiancé Dave? (1)

Jack and his partner Dave Stig have been together for the past three and a half years. He works as a personal trainer/fitness instructor which is the perfect match for Jack because if anyone's going to understand the pressures of the sporting industry, it's going to be someone in the sporting industry!

Jack recently spoke about how following his brutal unprovoked attack in Dublin, Dave was inspired to become a Guard.

He told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘One of the reasons why Dave actually wanted to get into it [the force] was after what happened to me. He said he had always thought of wanting to go into the guards, but we’d actually only been together two weeks when that happened to me.’

Jack said their relationship ‘was quite secret’ at the time, as Dave had not yet come out to his own family and friends. ‘He wasn’t able to kind of do anything about it [the attack] because he had his own struggles at the time. But it’s kind of something that inspired him to go into the guards and try and get a little bit of justice for other people who might be in a similar situation.'

Stig isn't really Dave's surname

Who is Irish Olympian Jack Woolley's fiancé Dave? (2)

Dave's surname is actually is Hand — but he got the nickname after the Top Gear driver because, at 17, he was the first in his friend group to get his driving licence and a car.

Jack is close friends with boxer Kelly Harrington, and when Dave said he knew her too, Jack thought he was making it up. He asked Kelly if she knew a David Hand.

She didn’t, and Jack thought he had one up on Dave. Just to be sure, he showed Kelly a photo, and she messaged “The Stig! We were at college together.” She just never knew his real name.

How they met

Who is Irish Olympian Jack Woolley's fiancé Dave? (3)

Jack and Dave's relationship blossomed in the wake of Tokyo 2020. They met online, as Jack was heading to the Covid-delayed 2020 Olympic Games.

He had left his favourite Ultimate Ears portable speaker at a previous competition in Mexico and asked on Instagram where he could get a replacement. Dave had a friend who worked in the airport, where the speaker was in stock, and he organised for Jack to collect it before his flight.

The taekwondo star previously told the Irish Examiner that Dave injected a bit of 'structure' to his life. He explained that Dave entering his life was a 'big change' as he didn't really have 'support' in Tokyo, just his friends and family, which left him feeling 'a little bit lost'.

However, a week after he returned from Japan, he 'had somebody there'.

Who is Irish Olympian Jack Woolley's fiancé Dave? (4)

Jack also gushed that his mam knew instantly that Dave was his person, telling the publication: 'My mam has this story about when she first met my dad, came home and my nana rolled her eyes and said, "Oh no, here we go!" And my mam said she had the same moment with me when I came home after meeting him for the first time.'

Jack admitted he and Dave met at the 'right time' when he wasn't 'expecting anything'. Speaking to the Irish Independent, Jack recalled being told that 'relationships are a distraction'.

Who is Irish Olympian Jack Woolley's fiancé Dave? (5)

After leaving Tokyo, Jack saw a 'new beginning' for his life and decided to hit the town to play the field.

'I got all these expectations of going out, playing the field and everything, and there I am now, three-and-a-half years into a relationship,' he joked.

The 25-year-old added that his partner keeps him 'in line' whenever he's feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Keeping things quiet

Who is Irish Olympian Jack Woolley's fiancé Dave? (6)

The couple were an item for 11 months before Dave, who was 35 at the time, told his family about Jack. ‘He was all out on my side, but on his side, it was still very hush-hush, and we had to keep it a secret until he was comfortable with coming out,’ Jack says.

How did that go? ‘I was expecting the worst and I had mixed emotions, but it turned out to be the best thing ever,’ Dave told the Irish Daily Mail. ‘Obviously, I was nervous telling my parents and my sisters, and I have a group of close friends I’ve known since we were all small, but everyone was great.'

Supporting his career

Who is Irish Olympian Jack Woolley's fiancé Dave? (7)

Dave jetted over to Paris to cheer on his beau at the 2024 Paris Olympics earlier this year. Jack previously gushed that although it was 'cringey' to say, Dave is the 'best thing that's ever happened to me'- how sweet!

He said: 'I love being an Olympian and stuff like that, but I never thought I’d have this type of relationship [because of] the sport. It’s very hard to balance, being constantly away. He’s a PT and understands it.'

Getting engaged

Who is Irish Olympian Jack Woolley's fiancé Dave? (8)

He may not have won the Glitterball trophy on Dancing With The Stars, but Jack got a much better surprise after the show wrapped.

Dave got down on one knee after the RTÉ show's wrap party, with the happy couple sharing a loved-up snap to announce their engagement on St Patrick's Day.

Dave had planned to propose after the Paris Olympics if Jack won gold and then after DWTS if he lifted the Glitterball, settling on deciding to pop the question on their post-show holiday to Tenerife.

Danny O'Carroll had another plan though! Once he got wind of the proposal plans, he suggested Dave get down on one knee at the afterparty so they could all celebrate together.

Who is Irish Olympian Jack Woolley's fiancé Dave? (9)

Jack explained to the Irish Daily Mail: ‘In his speech, Dave said: “This ring has been burning a hole in my pocket for six months!” Danny O’Carroll and myself are very good friends, and when Dave told him his plan for Tenerife, Danny said: “Do it now, because his friends, his family, we’re all here. You’d want to share this kind of moment with everybody."

'So that’s why it happened the way it did. That said, I was the one who wanted to do it, but he beat me to it.'

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