He’s the Dancing with the Stars contestant who judge Helen Richey described as a potential competition “heavyweight” after he performed alongside dance partner Siobhan Power, but what do we know about Harry Garside’s partner in real life?
The Olympic boxer, who is also a trained ballet dancer and certified plumber, came to the public’s attention when he won a bronze medal in the men’s lightweight division at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
He returned to the ring in 2024 at the Paris Olympics, but this time his dream of taking home a trophy ended after just nine minutes – the now 27-year-old left sprawled on the floor behind the North Paris Arena after losing to Hungarian Richard Kovacs and later telling reporters he felt “like a failure”.
The loss came after a difficult couple of years for Garside who, in May 2023 had been arrested on an assault charge after he touched down at Sydney Airport following a stint on I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, where he’d been runner up to former champion netballer Liz Ellis.
The charge was later dropped and he was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Read more about him below.
Who is Ashley Ruscoe?
Garside stood accused of domestic assault charge against his ex-partner Ash Ruscoe – herself a fitness coach and former contestant on The Amazing Race – and at the time said it was “very confronting” to arrive back in Australia to find police waiting for him.
Garside and Ruscoe, who was nine years his senior, had begun dating in 2021 and, a year later, had moved into a place in Bellevue Hill, Sydney, together.
On March 1 2023, it was alleged the pair got involved in an argument during a walk that escalated into a physical altercation at their home.
But a month later, the charges against Garside were dropped, with the boxer saying his lawyers had provided police with “recordings and communications” that cleared him of any wrongdoing.
“Last month I returned from South Africa feeling motivated and optimistic about my future,” Garside said at the time.
“What has occurred since has been personally devastating and a real test of my resilience. I will be forever grateful for the love and support of my family and friends who have kept me strong and focused.”
Ruscoe was later arrested and charged with assaulting Garside and, in December 2024, she pleaded guilty.
She avoided conviction over the incident and has since moved to Bali where she offers personalised boxing classes.
Being secure within who he is
Over the years, Garside has made a name for himself for being comfortable with his feminine energy despite identifying as a straight man, and being happy to step out wearing skirts and nail polish.
“I genuinely believe that as a society we should be supporting individuality and uniqueness and the herd supporting that rather than the herd supporting people who feel they need to conform and be like everyone else,” he told News.com.au in 2024.
“I think you realise as an adult having different uniqueness is actually a superpower, but when you’re younger you feel this need to conform. I felt that throughout my childhood, this need to not want to be too different or else you’re going to get isolated.
“But what I’ve realised the older I get is the more unique and special and different you are, it’s a bit of a superpower in your adult years so I just want to try and show young people that it’s actually beautiful to walk in your own essence and try things,” the boxer added.
“Even if it’s not your calling, try things because you never know what your calling is until you try it, I’m just trying to encourage young people to do that.”
Is Harry Garside in a relationship?
That same year, Garside revealed he had unexpectedly found love again as he chased his Olympic dream, something he described as “the best kind of love”.
He debuted his romance for the first time at the Melbourne Cup in November 2024 – stepping out with girlfriend Sonny, 21, a public relations professional who he met at a New Year’s Eve Party.
“Throughout that process I actually fell in love … so it happened so unexpectedly which I think is the best kind of love … when you’re not searching for it but it just stumbled into my life,” he told Nova 96.9 radio.
“She’s originally from Sydney, but she is currently living in London, so I am pretty excited for her to get back at the end of the year … she’s definitely worth the wait.”
He said he was quick to ask her out.
“And I took her out on a date two weeks later,” Garside told Daily Mail Australia.
Who is Harry Garside’s dance partner?
In 2025, Garside became a regular on TV screens across Australia participating in Dancing with the Stars alongside dance partner Siobhan Power.
Power, a Melbourne-based professional Latin American dancer, has been involved with Dancing with the Stars over many seasons, having previously been partnered with model and TV presenter Kris Smith and AFL star Ben Cousins.
Power and her partner Jack Shoe, one of the founding members of Indie-dance band Northeast Party House, have a young son named Elio.
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