Strictly Come Dancing: A Curse or Cupid?
Is Strictly a cupid or a curse when it comes to romance? We look at the couples from this series, and back at the couples who have graced the dance floor over the years and see if the magic ends once the dancing shoes come off.
Rex FeaturesKaren Hauer & Kevin Clifton
Even the Strictly Come Dancing professionals aren't immune from the curse. Karen and Kevin Clifton's relationship has hit the rocks. Karen is reportedly getting close to friend Stuart Wood. The dancer and the accountant have been reportedly on a string of 'dates' together and he was spotted leaving her house last weekend. Kevin touched on the pair's marriage woes when he was voted off the show. He said: "Strictly’s a hard few weeks for everyone. Karen and I have found this year’s particularly hard as we’ve been in different places since the start — her in Manchester and London and me in Glasgow.
“When Strictly is on I’m not the easiest person to live with, I go a bit mad. So I’d like to say first of all thanks to my wife for putting up with me.”
Their 2015 wedding was scattered with Strictly stars including Susanna Reid and Frankie Bridge.
BBC PicturesMollie King & AJ Pritchard
Strictly Come Dancing contestant Mollie King 'insisted' she wasn't looking for love before the show started, however her 'smouldering' performance with partner AJ Pritchard during their Viennese Waltz added 'fuel to rumours' that the pair are getting close. Head judge Shirley Ballas also commented, saying their dance was 'romantic with believable chemistry'.
Rex FeaturesCoronation Street star Georgia May Foote got up close and personal with her Strictly professional partner Giovanni Pernice after splitting from boyfriend of eight-months, Sean Ward. Georgia and Giovanni were runners up in the 2015 series of Strictly and were spotted at the happiest place on earth - Disneyland. They have since split.
Getty ImagesKristina Rihanoff & Ben Cohen
After two other failed Strictly romances, things began to look up for Kristina as she found love on the Strictly dance floor again with former rugby star Ben Cohen. "We're constantly together – either at my place or his. We're still very new so there's much more left to grow hopefully. It's a work in progress," she said. The pair are also expecting their first baby making it the first Strictly pregnancy!
Rex FeaturesKara Tointon & Artem Chigvintsev
Eastenders star Kara Tointon and her dancing partner Artem Chigvintsev quick-stepped their way to success in the 2010 series of Strictly but split four years later. Recently, the actress told The Telegraph that the pair were deliberately paired because they were both unattached: “I was single and they put me with the single guy! I was so angry… I was determined we wouldn’t get together and then of course you’re spending so much time with this person and he was so wonderful… So yes, it was inevitable really”.
Getty ImagesAli Bastian & Brian Fortuna
The Strictly dance floor worked its magic in 2009 when Hollyoaks actress Ali Bastian and her partner Brian Fortuna enjoyed more than just the tango on the show. Their chemistry served them well as they made it into the semi finals, before continuing to dance together in the West End Show Burn The Floor for two and a half months. But a year later and the pair confirmed their amicable split.
Rex Features/Getty ImagesVincent Simone & Kristina Rihanoff
Vincent Simone hit headlines circa 2009 when he confessed to having an affair with fellow dancer Kristina Rihanoff. The romance was especially shocking because Vincent’s partner at the time, Susan, was five months pregnant with their first child. Susan proceeded to walk out on him but they reconciled when she gave birth and Vincent ended things with Kristina, apparently leaving her devastated.
Getty ImagesGethin Jones & Katherine Jones
Gethin Jones and Katherine Jenkins never actually danced together on Strictly but they met when he was a contestant and she was singing on the show. It was another doomed romance though and, despite getting engaged in 2010, they called things off 10 months later.
Rex FeaturesJimi Mistry & Flavia Cacace
Here’s one Strictly romance with a happy ending. Flavia Cacace met Eastenders star Jimi Minstry when he was a contestant in 2010. They might not have scored particularly highly with the judges but they certainly scored highly with each other: they were married in December 2013 and now live together in Surrey.
Rex FeaturesFlavia Cacace & Vincent Simone
But Jimi wasn’t Flavia’s first Strictly romance. She was actually in a long-term relationship with her dance partner Vincent Simone when they started on the show – but they fell out of step with each other in 2007.
Rex FeaturesMatt Di Angelo & Flavia Cacace
And that was because of this young man – Matt Di Angelo. In what became the show’s very own soap opera, Flavia waltzed off with the Eastenders actor, and it hit Strictly - and Vincent - hard. The pair were together three years until they split, blaming their work schedules, especially Matt’s acting jobs in America.
PA PhotosGavin Henson & Tina O’Brien
Though never dancing partners, Gavin Henson and Tina O’Brien set tongues wagging with their apparently constant flirting during the 2010 series. Whatever happened, it didn’t last and Gavin moved on to attempt to find love on The Bachelor.
Rex FeaturesJoe Calzaghe & Kristina Rihanoff
Kristina Rihanoff has had her fair share of heartbreak on the show. Following on from her break-up with Vincent, she ended up dating her dancing partner Joe Calzaghe for four years. Talking about the split, Kristina said: “He wanted a girlfriend at home with his family in Wales, but he didn't want to get married or have children and I didn't want to give up that dream. And I won't live a lie, because life is too short.”
PA PhotosRachel Riley & Pasha Kovalev
The numbers added up for Countdown’s Rachel Riley and her dancing partner Pasha Kovalev. The couple were paired together in 2013 and started dating after Rachel split from her husband Jamie Gilbert. “With Rachel, we are having a good time, and we are quite serious about one another, but we’re not planning on kids yet,” he revealed recently.
Rex FeaturesRicky Whittle & Natalie Lowe
We don’t know what they were putting in the water during the 2009 Strictly series because everyone seemed to be hooking up. Among them were Ricky Whittle and his dance partner Natalie Lowe. Although the romance fizzled out after all those foxtrots finished.
Rex FeaturesOla & James Jordan
It’s not all tears and break-ups on the show though: Ola and James Jordan are one of Strictly’s most enduring couple. The dancing twosome married in 2003 and have stayed together ever since.
Rex FeaturesBrendan Cole & Camilla Dallerup
Brendan Cole and Camilla Dallerup were struck down by the Curse of Strictly in 2004, when Brendan’s alleged romance with Natasha Kaplinsky made headlines. “To this day I have no idea whether it was her fame and celebrity that swept him away or if he really did feel a strong connection with her. I’m guessing it was probably a bit of both. It felt as if the fact that we’d just got engaged meant nothing to either of them,” said Camilla, who has since quit the show to become a life coach.
PA PhotosNatasha Kaplinsky & Brendan Cole
No one ever confirmed anything but the chemistry between Natasha Kaplinsky and her partner Brendan Cole led to them both splitting up from their long-time partners. The pair did nothing to quell the rumours when they kissed in front of millions of viewers at home – but they both moved on once filming ended.
Rex FeaturesJanette Manrara & Aljaž Škorjanec
Janette Manrara and Aljaž Škorjanec are a rare thing: a Strictly success story. The pair, who are relatively new to the dancing show, got engaged in 2015. We can’t wait to see the First Dance.
Rex FeaturesDarren Bennett & Lilia Kopylova
Dancers Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova beat the show’s odds and have been married since 1999. They are set to become a Strictly family this year as Lilia is expecting their first child.
