The infamous Strictly curse has been around for as long as the BBC dancing show itself.
Every year, viewers are glued as to how it will play out between the couples.
The intimate nature of ballroom dancing mixed with the pressures of the show and not being able to spend time with family means that some couples become more than just friends.
While on some occasions no other party is involved, other times have seen a celebrity or professional dancer leave their real-life partners heartbroken.
So from Brendan Cole and Natasha Kaplinsky romance in 2004 to Stacey Dooley’s boyfriend calling Kevin Clifton ‘a snake’, Daily Star has taken a look back at the show’s wildest couplings.
Brendan Cole and Natasha Kaplinsky
(Image: BBC)
Back in 2004, veteran pro Brendan was paired with news anchor Natasha Kaplinsky.
Both were thought to be have been in relationships at the time when they reportedly had an affair, Brendan with fellow Strictly dancer Camilla Dallerup and Natasha, 49, with Mike Barnard.
However, Brendan insisted he was single and told the Daily Mail: “Camilla had ended the relationship very early on in the series so what happened, happened after that.”
Both Brenda and Natasha have gone on on to marry other people.
Brendan, 45, tied the knot with model Zoe Hobbs in 2010 and the pair have two kids.
Natasha married hubby Justin Bower back in 2005.
Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev
Countdown’s Rachel Riley had only been married for 15 months when she announced she was splitting from husband Jamie Gilbert, who she met at university.
Soon after Strictly finished in December 2013, it emerged she was dating her dance partner Pasha Kovalev.
She insisted there was no overlap but has still been accused of falling foul of the dreaded curse.
Rachel, 35, and Pacha married in Las Vegas in 2019 and are expecting their second child.
The maths wizard has since said that being on Strictly gave her such bad stage fright she needed therapy.
Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff
When rugby ace Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff were partnered in 2014 it was obvious they had chemistry.
Ben, 42, was married at the time with twin daughters and when he split from his wife Abby, all hell broke loose.
She called Kristina a “f***** Russian dancer” and was left heartbroken.
Ben and blonde bombshell Kristina, who also had a relationship with previous dance partner Joe Calzaghe, had a baby in 2016.
Abby has since said she regrets her outburst and has moved on with a new partner.
Seann Walsh and Katya Jones
Comedian Seann Walsh was pictured snogging his dance partner Katya Jones after a drunken night out during their time in the competition.
Kata, 32, was married to fellow dancer Neil Jones and Seann, 35, was also involved with someone else.
The pair quickly apologised for their behaviour and made an awkward TV appearance.
Seann’s girlfriend at the time had been a regular fixture in the audience but there was no apology from her cheating beau.
The snog was a one-off but as a pair, they didn’t last much longer in the 2018 competition.
Seann has since revealed the backlash from the snog with Katya led to depression and panic attacks.
Katya and Neil are now divorced but the are still close friends.
Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton
Still going strong, documentary maker Stacey Dooley and pro dancer Kevin Clifton met when they were paired in 2018.
They apparently fell for each other after spending up to 14 hours a day training but Stacey, 34, was already spoken for.
Her then-boyfriend, personal trainer Sam Tucknott, was so incensed by her betrayal he even had a Facetime rant at Kevin, calling him a “rat” and a “snake”.
Kevin, 36, has been married three times and Strictly bosses were so concerned about his reputation it is believed that they have decided to keep him away from “hot and sexy” celebrity contestants.
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
