Series 1: Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole
Hit the headlines in the first season for all the wrong reasons. Viewers were fascinated by the seemingly close bond between newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky and her hunky partner Brendan Cole.
Did they/didn’t they? Natasha and her attractive partner Cole sparked affair rumors
Although the couple won the show, their success was marred by affair rumors.
BBC presenter Natasha soon split from her long-term partner Mike Barnard, while Brendan left his fiancée and fellow dancer Camilla Dallerup.
In her book Strictly Inspirational, Camilla wrote that their breakup was like a “mini-death.”
“You go through the arc of sadness, anger and bitterness,” she said. “My best friend and professional dancer Brendan were both gone.”
However, Natasha has always denied any wrongdoing, saying: “The chemistry was there, of course, and I definitely fell in love with dancing, but not with Brendan.”
Series 5: Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace
Of all the Strictly romances there have been over the years, this remains one of the most interesting.
Clandestine: It didn’t take long before Flavia and the then 19-year-old Matt were secretly in love
Flavia Cacace was in a long-term relationship with her dance partner Vincent Simone when she started dating Matt Di Angelo in 2007. He was eight years younger than her.
It didn’t take long before Flavia and the then 19-year-old Matt were secretly in love. Shortly after the show ended, she ended her romance with Vincent and went public with Matt.
Looking back on their partnership, Matt told Chron: “It was a pretty crazy time.” It was front-page news.
“The funny thing was that at first the story wasn’t true, but the more you read it, the more you started to believe it and actually act on it.”
Their romance ended in 2010 and a few weeks later Flavia admitted that she was dating her latest dance partner, actor Jimi Mistry, whom she later married.
Series 7: Joe Calzaghe and Kristina Rihanoff
That’s not supposed to be the case: Kristina is also said to have wanted children, while Joe already has two sons from a previous relationship
Ending: Unfortunately for Kara and Artem, their relationship was not successful
Scandal: Kristina recently had to defend her romance with Ben
Former boxer Joe Calzaghe split from his girlfriend of five years, Jo-Emma Larvin, in 2009 just a week after the show began.
The athlete soon began a relationship with Russian dancer Kristina Rihanoff.
The couple had a four-year romance but split after Joe reportedly asked Kristina not to accept a dancing role in a stage production.
In conversation with Hello! Kristina said: “He got tired of waiting for me and said if I had really loved him I wouldn’t have taken the job in the West End.”
Kristina is also said to have wanted children, while Joe already has two sons from a previous relationship.
Series 8: Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev
Unfortunately for Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev, their relationship failed to stay distanced.
After winning the show in 2010, the two got together, love quickly blossomed and they moved into a house together in London.
However, it is understood that Russian Artem had to spend time apart from Kara for months due to his visa issues and they eventually decided to call it quits.
Actress Kara welcomed her baby son Frey with fiancé Marius Jensen in 2018, while Artem struck up a romance with retired WWE wrestler Nikki Bella since moving to the US in 2014 to compete on Dancing With the Stars.
Series 11: Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff
Kristina Rihanoff was recently forced to defend her romance with Strictly partner Ben Cohen, insisting their relationship only began when his 11-year marriage to wife Abby ended.
“He left his wife a year ago,” she told the Daily Mirror. “We recently started dating, but we can see ourselves as two single people.”
Kristina – who also dated Vincent Simone and ex-partner Joe Calzaghe – said there were other couples but she was the only one who was “attacked”.
She said: “Ben has said it many times and I’ll say it again – I had no part in the breakdown of his marriage.”
Meanwhile, Abby described the breakup and resulting divorce as “the most traumatic thing that has ever happened to me.”
Ben, 37, met Abby in 1995 when she was 17 and the couple married in 2003 before welcoming their daughters in 2008.
Series 11: Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev
“It doesn’t exist!” Rachel brushed aside the fact that the curse existed after she left her husband and got together with Pasha
In the same series, Rachel Riley’s relationship with her pro partner Pasha Kovalev ultimately ended her marriage to her husband for just a year.
In 2012, she married Jamie Gilbert and took part in the 2013 season of the dance show. By the end of 2013, they had broken up and she was dating Pasha – which she says started after the show ended.
“On Strictly you build a close bond with your partner, but when Pasha and I danced there was nothing romantic.” “It was just dancing,” she told the Mail the following January, stressing that it was something like “The “Curse” doesn’t exist.
‘[Strictly] “It serves as a magnifying glass that makes existing fault lines visible,” she said, explaining the situation. She is still with Pasha today.
Series 11: Susanna Reid
Revelation: Shortly after the show ended, Susanna split from her long-term partner Dominic Cotton
Divorced: Actress Sunetra also announced the breakup of her marriage after appearing on Strictly
Susanna Reid was another series 11 victim. She was considered the most popular breakfast TV presenter and was in a 15-year relationship when she reached the final of Strictly Come Dancing that year.
But shortly after the show ended, the TV presenter separated from her long-term partner Dominic Cotton.
However, mother-of-three Susanna, who dated professional Kevin Clifton, said the program was not to blame for her love problems.
Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna told the Daily Mirror: “I think people think Strictly was involved in what happened. “It wasn’t. “Obviously things have been challenging in my personal life, but we’re getting things under control.”
Series 12: Sunetra Sarker
Actress Sunetra Sarker also announced the separation of her marriage after her appearance on “Strictly”.
She separated from her husband Nick Corfield after ten years of marriage, shortly before the show was released in cinemas.
The couple met while on holiday in Jersey in 1989 and have a 13-year-old son together.
However, she said the romance ended long before her reality show appearance: “The truth is me and my husband separated amicably three years ago and that obviously had nothing to do with Strictly.”
The Casualty actress who plays Dr. Zoe Hanna, who plays in the BBC medical drama, is now rumored to be in a relationship with her business partner Scott Carey. Together the two founded the food company Keep Me Fresh.
Series 12: Caroline Flack
Caroline Flack split from her boyfriend of one and a half years Jack Street after making it to the semi-finals of Strictly Come Dancing.
The price of success: Caroline Flack split from her boyfriend of one and a half years Jack Street after making it to the semi-finals of Strictly Come Dancing
According to The Sun, she was “distraught” behind the scenes of the BBC show but managed to put on a brave face to wow with her tango and top the leaderboard.
A source close to her told the newspaper: “It came to a natural end and was mutual.”
Some contestants have ended their relationships to pursue a romance with their dance partner on the show, but the source stated that was not the reason in Caroline’s case.
“No one else is involved,” they explained.
Caroline had been dating music manager Jack for around 18 months and had previously said he approved of her working on the talent show despite her reputation.
“Jack was totally fine with the whole curse thing,” she said, quoted in The Mirror. “He never once worried.”
Series 13: Helen George
Over and over: Helen announced her split from husband of three years Oliver Boot after being revealed as a contestant (pictured with pro Aljaz Skorjanec)
It wasn’t long before the dreaded Strictly curse struck again.
Actress Helen George announced her split from her husband of three years, fellow actor Oliver Boot, after she was announced as a contestant on the show.
“I can confirm that Helen separated from her husband some time ago,” a rep for the star said. She has no association with any other Strictly contestants or professional dancers.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, Helen is best known for her role as nurse Beatrix “Trixie” Franklin in the hit BBC drama Call The Midwife.
George also performed as a backing singer for Sir Elton John and starred in a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Zippel called The Woman In White.
She met her former partner on the set of the BBC drama Hotel Babylon and the couple married in December 2012.
Series 13: Georgia May Foote
The actress was in a relationship with her Coronation Street co-star Sean Ward when she took part in the series in 2015.
Breakup: Shortly after coming second in the final, Georgina announced her split from Sean
But cracks began to appear when it was reported that Sean was furious with jealousy over her decision to take part and even reportedly accompanied her to rehearsals at the start of her Strictly journey.
Shortly after coming second in the final, she and Sean announced their split – shortly after, Georgia was seen kissing her dance partner Giovanni Pernice during a romantic trip to Disneyland.
But just before rehearsals began for the 2016 series, Georgia and Giovanni ended their romance after just one year.
Giovanni has since moved on with 2018 contestant and former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, while Georgia is dating rapper Kris Evans.
Series 14: Louise and Jamie Redknapp
Divorced: Louise Redknapp appeared on the series in 2016, after which she and Jamie reportedly faced marital problems
Footballer Jamie Redknapp was recently said to have been offered a place in the Strictly line-up, but understandably declined after the show was blamed for the breakdown of his marriage to wife Louise.
Louise appeared on the series in 2016, after which she and Jamie reportedly faced marital problems. They divorced at the end of 2017.
There was strong speculation that Louise realized during the show that she wanted to work again after sacrificing her career for her marriage – with co-star Daisy Lowe, who is said to have helped her “rediscover her youth”.
A TV source said: “It used to be a show where no celebrity ever turned down.” But the curse has changed all that. There are now serious concerns that appearing on the show could have a negative impact on relationships. Jamie only has negative feelings about Strictly at the moment. There is absolutely no possibility of him appearing.’
Louise was also rumored to have entered into a romantic relationship with her professional partner Kevin Clifton, although this was never confirmed.
Series 14: Kevin and Karen Clifton
Separation: The Cliftons – a married professional dancer couple – separated romantically in 2018
Despite rumors surrounding Kevin, who was married three times, during his relationship with Louise, nothing seemed to have happened between the two. Of course, he was also married at the time – to his professional colleague Karen Clifton.
However, the couple has since split up.
Kevin proposed to her on stage during a performance of “Burn the Floor” on her birthday and they married in July 2015. However, in March 2018, they confirmed that they were no longer romantically involved.
Since then, they have continued to work together as a professional dance partnership, but insist there is no bad blood.
Series 16: Stacey Dooley, Sam Tucknott and Kevin Clifton
We’re done: Stacey’s boyfriend of five years Sam Tucknott, 30, revealed Stacey had dumped him in an interview with the Mail On Sunday
Stacey’s boyfriend of five years Sam Tucknott, 30, revealed Stacey had dumped him in an interview with the Mail On Sunday in April. He called her dance partner, thrice-married Kevin Clifton, 36, a slippery snake
Sam confronted Kevin in an angry video chat in which he branded him a “real rat”. He told MoS in an exclusive interview that he felt betrayed by the new couple’s romance.
It has been claimed that Stacey and Kevin’s relationship was an “open secret” on the Strictly tour. The news has cast a shadow over the show’s latest series and revived the so-called “Strictly curse” which has led to 14 couples breaking up.
The 32-year-old TV presenter broke her silence on Twitter shortly afterwards, stressing that “there are two sides to every story”.
All clear: In August 2019, shortly before season 17, Neil and Katya announced their separation after eleven years of marriage
Series 16/17: Katya and Neil Jones
In 2018, The Curse struck right at the start of the season, and the drama escalated just three weeks into the live shows.
In a new twist, a love square emerged when Katya Jones, who is married to fellow show pro Neil, was snapped bumping into her celebrity partner, comedian Seann Walsh, on the street outside a pub in London. This happened on Sean’s girlfriend, actress and author Rebecca Humphries’ birthday, no less.
Dumped: Neil and Katya’s split comes 10 months after her kiss with Seann (pictured with ex-girlfriend Rebecca Humphries)
The couple dismissed it as a “one-off mistake” despite kissing and brazenly laughing in public. Rebecca has since “dumped” Seann via a Twitter statement.
Seann and Katya did not pull out of the show as their affair was a gigantic elephant in the room as they were still appearing on the series and Neil was also on set.
But in August 2019, shortly before season 17, Neil and Katya announced their separation after eleven years of marriage. The split came just ten months after her kiss with Seann.
Series 18: Nadiya Bychkova, Matija Škarabot and Kai Widdrington
In January 2022, Nadiya announced that she had separated from her fiancé Matija Škarabot, with whom she shares her five-year-old daughter.
New Couple: Professional dancers Nadiya and Kai began a romance after she broke up with her fiancé Matija
The news broke shortly after she began dating married BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker and there were rumors of a romance, but they quickly dispelled them.
The professional dancer later revealed that she had actually secretly broken up with her fiancé before series 18 had even begun, and during that time she met a dancer, fellow professional Kai, who was romantically linked to his partner AJ in that series Odudu had.
While Nadiya didn’t reveal exactly when she and Kai met, she said in her first interview about their romance that she found him kind and compassionate and made me laugh. I feel very relaxed with him.’
Series 18: Max George, Stacey Giggs and Maisie Smith
Dancing through life: Max and Maisie began a romance after appearing together on season 18 of the hit series
When Max appeared on series 18 of Strictly he was happily with Stacey, who he had been dating for four years, with the singer taking on the role of stepfather to her two children.
However, months after appearing on the show, he began a relationship with fellow series 18 star Maisie Smith, who was in a relationship with singer HRVY during her first stint on the show.
However, Max and Maisie are said to have become closer on the Strictly Live tour, which took place a few months after they appeared on the show together.
Stacey then accused her ex of cheating on her with Maisie and reportedly felt “betrayed” by her former boyfriend.
Series 19: Adam Peaty and Eirianedd Munro
Sad: Adam Peaty has split from his girlfriend Eirianedd Munro after three years together and apologized for “abandoning” his partner and their son
In an Instagram statement in August 2022, Olympic swimmer Adam confirmed on Instagram that he and his girlfriend Eirianedd Munro had separated after three years together.
He said the couple had decided to go “separate ways” but their son George, who turns two next month, remained their “priority”.
Adam announced the news on social media, writing: “Eiri and George, I’m sorry for letting you down.” “My only concern is the well-being of our family during this difficult time.”
When the split happened, Adam turned heads on the dance floor last year with his chemistry with his pro partner Katya Jones. Eagle-eyed fans claimed they thought they almost kissed at the end of a steamy show.
After the incident, Eirianedd admitted she was “very emotional” after her athlete boyfriend’s “almost kiss” with Katya.
Eirianedd told fans she took a “brief break” from social media after Adam and Katya became very close at the end of their fast-paced Argentine tango last fall.
Series 19: Rose Ayling-Ellis and Sam Arnold
Outright winner Rose Ayling-Ellis has wished her dance partner Giovanni Pernice a happy birthday after splitting from long-term boyfriend Sam Arnold.
The EastEnders actress, 27, was with her partner for seven years and he cheered her on when she lifted the Glitterball trophy last year.
Sad: Absolute winner Rose Ayling-Ellis has reportedly split from long-term boyfriend Sam Arnold (pictured together)
However, the pair have reportedly called it quits as Rose continues to throw herself into work after being inundated with offers after winning Strictly.
This comes after it was recently reported that Rose’s friends have expressed doubts about the couple’s future due to her busy work schedule, saying they are worried the infamous Strictly curse could strike again.
Rose – who has kept her relationship pretty private over the years – vacationed alone in Barcelona earlier this year.