Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton's love story from Strictly curse to heartbreak
When the 2018 series of Strictly Come Dancing first got underway, pro dancer Kevin Clifton was still reeling from his divorce from co-star Karen Hauer Wyn-Jones. By the end of it, Kevin broke down on television as he thanked his dance partner Stacey Dooley for pulling him out of a hole after a "difficult year".
Fighting back tears after the pair claimed the famous Glitterball trophy, he told the documentary maker: "I just want to say thank you to you... not just for the beautiful dancing... You helped me fall in love with dancing again." Fans couldn't get enough of their chemistry on the dancefloor and romance rumours soon flew - which had always been denied throughout the competition.
At the time, 36 Stacey was in a seven-year relationship with personal trainer Sam Tucknott, who was regularly seen cheering her on from the audience. Four months later, however, the pair split as those past rumours intensified as Stacey and Kevin embarked on the Strictly tour together.
Furious Sam soon went on a rampage, claiming he had found gushing messages between the pair on Stacey's phone as they were clearing out their flat after agreeing to split. "I was getting my stuff to leave. Stacey was in the loo," he alleged at the time. "Her phone went and it was Kevin Clifton - 'I love you' with a red love heart," he added.
Branding Latin expert Kevin a "an absolute rat" and a "slippery, slimy snake", Sam ranted: "He's an absolute complete f**king rat with no b******s or decency to hear me out. The fact he won't have a man-to-man conversation with me says everything about the guy." Both Kevin and Stacey were adamant there was never any crossover, however, as the latter took to X (formerly Twitter) to put her side across.
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Rumours the pair had a romantic connection were rife almost from the offset of their Strictly journey in 2018 (Stacey Dooley/Instagram)"Anyone with any adult life experience knows there are 2 sides to every story," Stacey wrote. "I haven't got the time or energy to correct some of the utter nonsense I've read on here. Re Sam, I loved him v much and only wish him happiness and success going forward."
Kevin was reported to be "fuming" by the Sun the following year after being partnered with an older star in TV presenter Anneka Rice - and therefore given a harder task of retaining the trophy - something he believed was a "punishment" by Strictly bosses for drawing further attention to the so-called "Stritly curse".
An insider told the publication at the time: "He calls himself King Kevin and wanted to make Strictly history by winning back to back titles. But although Anneka is willing, her age and agility means he won't be able to throw her around like he did previous partners."
Confirming they were indeed an item, things moved quickly between the new couple as "Kevin from Grimsby" moved into Stacey's flat, before they bought their first home together in west London. Talking about their romance publicly for the fist time, Stacey admitted she was head-over-heels in a chat with BBC Radio 5's Headliners podcast.
"I didn't want to be such a cliché – it's so cringe and cheesy. I want to be cooler than this," she said. "He is an angel. He is the kindest man I've met." Kevin later revealed that behind closed doors they're far removed from the glitz and glamour of showbiz, preferring a good cup of tea to a bottle of wine as they curl up on the sofa to watch Netflix.
The smitten pair share daughter, Minnie, born in January 2023 (mirror.co.uk)
Stacey says marriage isn't on the cards for the time being (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)He told the Guardian: "We are the most boring couple in the history of the world. I will be sitting here doing my Mamet masterclass and saying: 'What do you think about consciousness?' And Stacey does her work and then likes to sit and watch things like Selling Sunset on Netflix about estate agents in LA."
And revealing how they coped in the 2020 Covid lockdowns, Kevin admitted they're not quite on the same page when it comes to deep and meaningfuls. He explained: "She was swapping stories with some friends: 'How are you finding lockdown with your partner?' And she said: 'Me and Kev don't argue – we get on well as mates as well as a couple.
"'The only thing I can complain about is that sometimes he wants to have a big conversation about the nature of consciousness. And, most of the time, I don't want to have a big conversation about the nature of consciousness.'"
Fast forward to in January 2023 there perfect picture was completed by the arrival of their daughter Minnie. Stacey later gushed over Kevin in a post for Valentine's Day, describing him and Minnie as the "loves of [her] life". She added: "I dunno what I did to get so lucky." Kevin later admitted on Stacey's podcast, Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over: Family And Me, that he wouldn't allow the tot to follow in his dance footsteps.
"I don’t want Minnie to dance," he declared, adding that he was "scared" the world of dance would damage her "sense of self-worth". He continued: "It’s too competitive a world. I would rather she do something else. Anything else." The pair have mutually agreed to protect her from the limelight.
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The sound of wedding bells seems to be an unlikely prospect, however, if Stacey's comments from July 2023 are anything to go by. She declared marriage "isn't important" joking that Kevin had "already done it a couple of times" anyway. "Marriage has just never been massively important to me," she explained.
"And obviously, it’s very well documented Kev’s done it a couple of times before, so you do have to bear that in mind. Coming down the aisle, ‘Hello everyone, I know what you’re all thinking.'" Stacey added that marriage has never been something she’s "dreamt about" doing, as she confirmed: "I don’t subscribe to the idea that you can offer more stability if you’re married, because we know that loads of marriages end in divorce."
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