Found family. X Factor alum Tom Mann and his fiancée, Dani Hampson, were ready for their next chapter before her sudden death in June 2022.
The longtime couple got engaged in December 2019, months after buying a home together in the U.K. “Christmas came early,” Hampson gushed via Instagram at the time. “Introducing my future husband .”
The publicist went on to share a closer glimpse of Mann’s romantic proposal. “This place closed down today just 3 days after it’s 4 walls became so special to us. I will never forget it……” she wrote in a sweet social media tribute to the local bar where Mann got down on one knee. “The smell, the pictures on the wall, the creaks in the stairs, & that little spot that gave me the happiest moment of my life Thank you Little Piano Bar.”
While the former Stereo Kicks member and Hampson were set to tie the knot in September 2020, the coronavirus pandemic forced them to change their plans. Before rescheduling their wedding ceremony, the duo announced Hampson’s pregnancy in June 2021.
“Our very own +1 – Arriving October 2021,” the then-expectant mother captioned her Instagram reveal. “Already buzzin to meet you little man.”
Son Bowie arrived that fall, and Mann was quick to praise his partner’s “incredible” strength after the delivery. Hampson, for her part, gushed over the “Love Me So” singer on his first birthday since becoming a parent.
“Watching you become a Dad has been nothing short of wonderful,” she wrote alongside a family photo in November 2021. “Here’s to you, all you have achieved & our & beautiful new world. We LY endlessly D&B.”
The couple continued to show off their baby boy’s milestones, from beach days to sing-alongs. Bowie turned 6 months old in April 2022, weeks before Mann announced Hampson died on what would have been their wedding day.
“I can’t believe I am writing these words but my darling Dani – my best friend, my everything and more, the love of my life – passed away in the early hours of Saturday morning, 18th June,” his lengthy statement began. “On what was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives ended in irreversible heartbreak. I feel like I have cried an ocean.”
Though he was “completely broken” by the loss, Mann vowed to stay strong for their son. “I will not be a mark on the parent that you had already become but I promise I will do my everything to raise Bowie just the way we always wanted. I promise you he will know how amazing his mummy was. I promise to make you so so proud,” he continued, reflecting on the “unconditional love” he and Hampson shared. “The most beautiful person inside and out. The most incredible soul. … My darling Dani, the brightest light in any room, my world is nothing but darkness without you. I will miss you forever.”
Scroll down for a look back at Mann and Hampson’s romance: