Tianie-Finn James celebrated her 20th birthday in February 2025. Since birth she’s been one to watch because her dad is Duncan James from Blue, the boyband that sang “All Rise”.
Most celebrity children either flee from or pursue cameras. Tianie’s done neither. She trained as a ballet dancer and keeps her life private.
Who Is Tianie-Finn James?
Tianie Finn James’s Mum is Claire Grainger, a former Northern ballet dancer who went on to be a dance teacher at Bramhall’s Dance. Claire and Duncan were together from 2002 to 2005 and broke up before Tianie-Finn James was born, but managed to co-parent without drama.
Tianie-Finn James was born on February 26, 2005. She began dancing at three, because her mum used to be a dancer and loved it. She appeared in four pantomimes at the Evans Theatre in Wilmslow as a child. She was educated at Stockport Grammar School and trained at Centre Point in Denton.
Then she joined the Royal Ballet School. That’s not exactly easy, as the acceptance rate is roughly 3%. You need some real chops, not just a famous last name.
Growing Up With Duncan
Duncan James announced he was gay in 2017, but he had confided in Tianie-Finn James years ago. She was totally cool with it. Duncan told the Daily Mail he was concerned about telling her, but she simply took it in stride and said she was proud of him.
But that doesn’t mean it was easy. Duncan admitted Tianie got trolled online because he’s gay. People would direct message her on TikTok and Instagram and say terrible things about her dad. She was a teenager dealing with strangers being vile because of who her dad loves.
Duncan said he’d developed thick skin against trolls, but he hated that his daughter was getting abuse.
Tianie-Finn James Mum Claire Grainger
Claire Grainger has remained under the radar. She used to be a Northern ballet dancer, then became a dance teacher. She encouraged Tianie to dance but didn’t thrust her into the limelight.
Claire’s Instagram is private. She doesn’t do interviews. She raised her daughter out of the cameras, which is pretty commendable when you consider how many celebrity exes practically sell their stories to tabloids.
Duncan and Claire stayed on good terms. They agreed early on to limit Tianie-Finn James’s social media use to protect her from trolls. They put their daughter first.
The Royal Ballet School
Getting into the Royal Ballet School is brutal. Tianie-Finn James auditioned, was accepted, and went to London to train.
In November 2023, she performed at Borne to Dance 2023, a charity gala at the Banqueting House presented by Dame Darcey Bussell. Tianie and a fellow student named Alejandro also danced together when Rhapsody was shown to the world on World Ballet Day, via live broadcast. Nearly 300,000 people watched.
José Carayol, Head of Artistic Programmes at the school, said, “It was truly magical to witness the energy at this event.”
Tianie-Finn James represented the Royal Ballet School as a talented dancer who’d earned her place, not as Duncan James’ daughter.
In 2024, she graduated. The school posted about her on Instagram: “Our2024Graduates – Tianie-Finn Grainger.”
Notice the surname? She uses Grainger, her mum’s name, not James. She’s her own person.
Social Media Life
Tianie-Finn James’s Instagram handle is @tianieballerina. She has over 15,000 followers. Duncan’s Instagram is @mrduncanjames. He posts about her occasionally. On her 16th birthday in 2021, he posted a photo of them together.
Duncan Now
Duncan James is 47 now. He’s been with Rodrigo Rei (also spelt Reis) since 2019. Rodrigo is Brazilian and into fashion and fitness. But they both split in August 2025, as reported by tabloids. There’s no legal status available about Duncan James wife. He was never married to Claire, and he’s not married to Rodrigo.
Duncan lives with his mum in a house they renovated together. He appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in 2021 and various other reality shows over the years. He still performs with Blue occasionally when the band reunites for tours.
The Trolling
In 2021, Duncan told Fabulous magazine about the abuse Tianie was getting online. She was 16, proper into TikTok and Instagram like most teenagers.
People would seek her out to message her about her dad being gay. Not asking questions—being vile.
Duncan said, “She is at an age where she is very much into her phone, and her friends are all on social media platforms like TikTok – it’s very much her life.”
You can’t protect your kids from everything, especially not from anonymous trolls hiding behind keyboards.
What She’s Doing Now
As of November 2025, Tianie-Finn James is 20. She graduated from the Royal Ballet School in 2024.
What’s she doing now? That’s not public. She’s kept her life private since graduating. She might be dancing professionally, taking a break, or doing something completely different.
Her Instagram’s still private. She’s not doing interviews. She’s not trading on her dad’s fame.
Most celebrity kids either become influencers or release terrible music. Tianie-Finn James trained as a ballet dancer and got on with her life.
Duncan Coming Out
Duncan came out as bisexual in 2009 during an interview with News of the World. Then in 2017, he clarified he’s gay, not bisexual.
He’d been linked to loads of women over the years—Geri Horner (when she was Geri Halliwell) and the late Tara Palmer-Tomkinson. But he was living a lie.
When he came out properly, he told Fabulous magazine, “I’d much prefer to hold my boyfriend’s hand in public or be able to put my own face picture on Tinder and not be so concerned about that than getting a part.”
He chose honesty over his career. Tianie supported him through all of it. She never made him feel bad about it.
Why This Matters
Tianie-Finn James grew up in a weird situation. Her dad’s famous but not mega-famous. Blue were huge in the early 2000s, but they’re not exactly chart-toppers now.
She got enough attention to be recognised but not enough for proper security or privacy protection. She dealt with trolls calling her dad names and had to watch people speculate about her family online.
But she didn’t become bitter. She didn’t sell stories to tabloids. She didn’t become an influencer trading on her dad’s name.
She trained hard, got into one of the world’s best ballet schools on merit, graduated, and kept her life private.
Her mum raised her to work hard and stay grounded. Her dad supported her even when dealing with his own struggles about his sexuality. She dealt with online trolls and came out the other side. She supported her dad when he came out as gay and accepted her dad’s boyfriend into her life.
Now she’s 20, graduated from one of the world’s best ballet schools, and living her life away from cameras. That takes strength.
2 Comments
Sophie Leigh
I know her personally and can honestly say not only is she an incredibly talented ballerina she is also a fantastic choreographer. She also acts and is very funny , so watch this space .
Brandler
I have been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this web site. Thank you, I’ll try and check back more frequently. How frequently you update your site?