BBC Homes Under The Hammer star Dion Dublin's life including heartbreak and family
Dion Dublin has been a well-known face on TV for many years and the former Premier League star has enjoyed a successful media career
HUH: Dion Dublin takes a look around 'promising' house
TV presenter and pundit Dion Dublin has been a regular face on our TV screens for many years. In his football heyday, the former Aston Villa and Manchester United striker was a prolific goal scorer and even managed to appear for England.
Dion Dublin has carved out of a successful media career with regular appearances on BBC Sport, namely Football Focus, Final Score, Match of the Day. His switch to daytime property show Homes Under The Hammer in 2015 was met with some surprise, but he has become a fan favourite in the hosting line-up alongside Martin Roberts and Martel Maxwell.
When he's not banging his Dube, the former Celtic striker lives a peaceful life in Merseyside and enjoys a slow pace of life. But what else do we know about his life away from TV?
Early life and career of Dion Dublin
Born in Leicester, Dion is the youngest of the five Dublin siblings, with his parents coming to England from the West Indies as part of the Windrush generation. His late mum Rose worked as a district nurse while dad Eddie had the option to be a professional footballer.
Dion said: "At one point, my dad had a choice whether to sign pro-forms for Fulham or go on tour. That was the choice. Go professional or go on tour as a bass player with Rod Stewart. It was a pretty amazing choice to have. He chose to go on tour with Rod Stewart. Music was closer to his heart.
"We all play music. I play percussion, my mum, when she was alive, played the mandolin and we've got Clem who plays lead guitar. Eddie plays drums, Ash, my eldest brother is a bass player and Carmen used to play the keyboards.
"I think if I'd taken up percussion earlier I might have gone for it... Percussion is my passion when it comes to music, and it's something that's come straight down from Mum and Dad."
Dion ultimately chose a career in football and joined Cambridge United where he later signed for Manchester United and established himself as one of the Premier League's best strikers at Coventry City and Aston Villa.
He also had spells with Millwall, Leicester City, Celtic before he ended his career at Norwich City. He was also capped four times for England and missed out on the 1998 World Cup squad to Les Ferdinand.
TV career post football retirement
Post-retirement, Dion Dublin transitioned into TV punditry, following in the footsteps of many former teammates and fellow footballers. He has appeared on Sky Sports and BBC, covering domestic and Champions League football, and later presented 606.
Dublin is a regular feature on Football Focus, Final Score, Match of the Day and provides co-commentary on numerous live FA Cup games. Beyond football, he reached the final of Celebrity MasterChef in 2021.
Former Premier League striker Dion Dublin surprised fans when he swapped the football pitch for a spot on BBC's Homes Under the Hammer in 2015, a move that raised eyebrows at the time.
Since then, Dion has become a staple of the show and a hit with viewers.
Dublin's quiet home life with family
Away from the limelight, Dion enjoys a peaceful family life. He tied the knot with his wife Cheryl in 2017, and together with their daughter Ruby Roseanne, they relish in getaways, sharing moments on Instagram from dining experiences to holidays abroad, and family days out including trips to an alpaca farm and attending the Women's World Cup.
Dion is loving his life in Merseyside after relocating there with Cheryl, who hails from Wirral, to be closer to her family.
In an interview with the Liverpool ECHO, Dion expressed his fondness for Merseyside: "We uprooted here just over a year ago. It's a lovely place, the people are great, normal and courteous. Nobody wants anything from you.
"There's obviously the odd picture or autograph, but that's just par for the course and nobody is ever rude. I've got a lot of time for it here and the city is brilliant. I've got no qualms with the place and I absolutely love it."
Dublin, who spent two years playing for Manchester United, confessed that things can get tense when the team plays against Liverpool FC, which happens to be Cheryl's family's favourite. He quipped: "They're all Reds so we watch Liverpool vs Man United in separate rooms."
Beyond football, Dublin has also developed a fondness for the local cuisine in Merseyside. Speaking about his preferred dining spot, he said: "A place I go to a lot is the Seafood Shack. It's an outstanding place. The fish is insane there".
Heartbreak over loss of "amazing" sister
Dion, who is incredibly close to his family, tragically lost the 'heartbeat and backbone' of his family in July 2022.
He shared the news his "amazing sister Carmen" had sadly passed away by posting a photo of himself alongside his late sibling and his three brothers, Eddie, Clem and Ash, with the message: "Yesterday we lost our amazing sister Carmen, the heartbeat and backbone to our family. Our hearts are truly broken, we will be lost without you."
Dion previously told the Mirror about the close bond he shares with his family and recalled treasured memories of their time together.
Dion Dublin's musical invention and love for music
The former Coventry City and Aston Villa striker showed his creative side when he unveiled his own musical instrument - The Dube. The instrument has four playable sides each producing their own unique sound and is available in four different sizes as well as acoustic and electro-acoustic models.
The percussion instrument can be described as being a cross between a Djembe and a Cajon. He previously told Vice: "The Dube is a proper thing. A lot of people don’t think it is because it looks like a wooden box – which it is – but it’s turned into a very intimate, well made percussion drum with a very serious sound and serious contribution to percussion and drumming.
"People need to give it a go and find out. Once people realise, it’ll start to break down the doors of distribution companies. I’ll put my hand on my heart, I’ll continue until I’ve made this a successful venture."
The Dube now has its own website and Dion regularly provides demonstrations and markets the instrument.
