Winning the glitterball is the ultimate achievement for any
professional dancer on Strictly: the moment when hard work, genius choreography
and a perfect partnership all come together. But what happens the next year,
when that same pro returns to the ballroom floor with a brand new celebrity
partner?
Do they ride the wave of victory into another strong start,
or does the pressure of living up to last year’s champion weigh heavy? The very
first dance of the series often gives us a clue: a chance to see whether
lightning might strike twice, or whether the glitterball glow will fade
quickly.
In today’s post, I’m looking back at every pro who has
returned to Strictly the year after winning, ranking their new partner’s first
dance scores. From triumphant encores to surprisingly shaky starts, the
numbers reveal a fascinating pattern of post-victory performances.
Of course, not every glitterball winner has had the chance
to defend their crown. A few pros bowed out of the show after their victory,
ending their time on Strictly on a perfect high. Whilst they won’t feature in
the ranking below, it’s only fair to acknowledge them – champions who went out
on top and never faced the challenge of a post-win first dance.
After winning with Tom Chambers in 2008, Camilla Dallerup
left Strictly to pursue other opportunities and recover from exhaustion. Flavia
Cacace stepped away for similar reasons in 2013, whilst Joanne Clifton decided
to pursue her passion for musical theatre after taking Ore Oduba to the
glitterball.
After Aliona Vilani’s first victory in 2011, she was
initially planning on a return to the show before an accident in training ruled
her out of the next series. She came back to Strictly the following year, and
won once again with Jay McGuiness in 2015, but by then Aliona had already
decided that series would be her last.
That leaves us with sixteen celebrity contestants who were
each given the honour of dancing with the reigning professional champion. Their
first dances have received an average score of 21.5, lower than the
average for all contestants of 23.64 – suggesting that some of these
celebrities had to work a little harder to find their rhythm.
So without any further ado,
let’s review the list!
16th: Anneka Rice and Kevin Clifton
- First Dance: Cha Cha Cha to “Gloria” by Laura Branigan
- Score: 14 (3, 4, 3, 4)
After five years on Strictly, which included four
consecutive final appearances during which he finished as runner-up on each
occasion, Kevin Clifton finally earned himself the glitterball trophy in 2018,
dancing with Stacey Dooley. Returning the following year, Kevin was paired with
TV presenter Anneka Rice but couldn’t quite replicate the magic of his previous
partnerships, leaving the series in Movie Week after performing the
lowest-scoring Charleston in Strictly history.
=14th:
Paul Daniels and Ola Jordan
- First Dance: Cha Cha Cha to “Could It Be Magic” by Take That
- Score: 16 (2, 5, 5, 4)
Ola took home the glitterball trophy in 2009, with her
winning partnership with Chris Hollins still being remembered for their iconic
Charleston, which was the first of its style to achieve a perfect score. The
next year, Ola was partnered with 72-year-old magician Paul Daniels, who was,
at the time, the oldest celebrity to take part in Strictly. Their Cha Cha Cha
left them at the bottom of the judges’ leaderboard in the first week, and the
couple would eventually be eliminated in Week 3.
=14th: Carol Kirkwood and Pasha Kovalev
- First Dance: Cha Cha Cha to “Thunder in My Heart” by Leo Sayer
- Score: 16 (2, 5, 5, 4)
On his third appearance in the final, Pasha won the trophy
dancing with Caroline Flack in 2014. Their partnership went down in history as
the first to receive three perfect scores in the final. For the 2015 series,
Pasha danced with BBC Breakfast weather presenter Carol Kirkwood. The couple
struggled with the judges, ending up at the bottom of the leaderboard several
times (including with the joint-lowest-scoring Rumba ever seen on Strictly);
however, the public kept them in the competition until Week 7.
=11th: Brian Capron and Karen Hardy
- First Dance: Waltz to “The Godfather Waltz”
- Score: 18 (4, 4, 5, 5)
Karen Hardy won the fourth series of Strictly in 2006 with
Mark Ramprakash, after a journey which included the now-infamous microphone
incident during their Salsa. She returned to the show the following year and
was paired with actor Brian Capron. The couple danced for the first time in
Week 1, alongside six other male celebrities, however, their score of 18 left
them at the bottom of the judges’ leaderboard, and they were eliminated that
week after a dance-off with Kenny Logan.
Sadly, no videos of Brian's time on Strictly are available.
=11th: Seann Walsh and Katya Jones
- First Dance: Tango to “SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake
- Score: 18 (3, 5, 4, 6)
Katya made it to the glitterball trophy during only her second
series on Strictly in 2017, when she danced with Joe McFadden. The next year,
she was partnered with comedian Seann Walsh and initially struggled in the
competition, with their Week 1 Tango being followed by a 15-scoring Jive which
was, at the time, the joint-lowest-scoring Jive seen on Strictly. Following the
infamous ‘kissgate’ scandal, Seann and Katya were eliminated in Hallowe’en week.
=11th: Ugo Monye and Oti Mabuse
- First Dance: Samba to “Iko Iko (My Bestie)” by Justin Wellington, feat. Small Jam
- Score: 18 (3, 5, 5, 5)
In 2020, Oti Mabuse made Strictly history when she became
the first professional dancer ever to win the trophy in consecutive years (but
more on that later). Despite rumours that she wouldn’t return to the show, Oti
did indeed come back for one more year and danced with rugby player Ugo Monye.
The couple danced Oti’s third Week 1 Samba, but it unfortunately left them
second from bottom of the judges’ leaderboard, and, following a back injury for
Ugo, the couple were eliminated in Week 5.
10th: Matt Dawson and Lilia Kopylova
- First Dance: Cha Cha Cha to “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones
- Score: 19 (2, 5, 6, 6)
Lilia Kopylova became the first female pro dancer to lift
the glitterball trophy when she won the third series of Strictly in 2005 with cricketer
Darren Gough. A year later, Lilia was paired with fellow sportsman Matt Dawson,
and opened the series with their Cha Cha Cha. The couple’s score of 19 left
them fifth out of the seven male celebrities performing that week; however, they
went from strength to strength, performing some wonderful ballroom routines on
a journey that eventually took them to Lilia’s second consecutive final, where
they just lost out to Mark Ramprakash and Karen.
9th: Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse
- First Dance: Cha Cha Cha to “Pata Pata” by Miriam Makeba
- Score: 15/30 (3, 6, 6) adjusted to 20/40
Oti earned her first glitterball when she danced with
reserve celebrity Kelvin Fletcher in 2019. It’s probably fair to say that
almost nobody was expecting her to repeat the feat when she was partnered with
55-year-old Bill Bailey in 2020. The first week of competition did little to
change that, with the couple ending up tenth out of twelve on the leaderboard.
However, Bill, much like Matt fourteen years earlier, improved every week and
captured the hearts of the nation to win Oti her second Strictly title.
8th: Jody Cundy and Jowita Przystał
- First Dance: Quickstep to “I’m Sitting on Top of the World” by Bobby Darin
- Score: 21 (5, 5, 6, 5)
After a year on the sidelines, Jowita became the first
female professional to win Strictly with her first celebrity partner when she took Hamza
Yassin to the glitterball in 2022. She returned to the show the next year, this
time dancing with Paralympian Jody Cundy. Their first dance was a fairly
respectable Quickstep; however, this would unfortunately be the high point of the
couple’s journey, as Jody struggled with the Latin routines before leaving the competition
in Week 4.
7th: Gloria Hunniford and Darren Bennett
- First Dance: Waltz to “Lady” by Kenny Rogers
- Score: 22 (4, 5, 7, 6)
Darren was another dancer to win with his first partner when
he and Jill Halfpenny won the second series of Strictly in 2004, in the process
becoming the first couple ever to achieve a perfect score. The following year,
Darren danced with TV presenter Gloria Hunniford, and their first dance left
them joint fifth on the judges’ leaderboard. However, Gloria was another
contestant who struggled with the Latin, and was eventually eliminated in Week
3, finishing tenth out of twelve couples.
Sadly, no videos of Gloria's time on Strictly are available.
6th: Richie Anderson and Giovanni Pernice
- First Dance: Cha Cha Cha to “I’m Your Man” by Wham!
- Score: 23 (5, 5, 6, 7)
After making it to his fourth final, Giovanni finally made
it to the glitterball dancing with Rose Ayling-Ellis, Strictly’s first deaf contestant,
in 2021. Their Couple’s Choice later won the BAFTA for must-see moment.
Giovanni returned to Strictly in 2022 and formed one half of the second all-male
partnership on the show when he was paired with Richie Anderson. The couple started
strongly, and scored particularly well for their Quickstep in Week 2, however,
they were eliminated in Movie Week after a The Lion King themed Samba.
5th: Alison Hammond and Aljaž Škorjanec
- First Dance: Cha Cha Cha to “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan
- Score: 26 (6, 6, 7, 7)
Aljaž was another first-time winner when he and Abbey Clancy
took the trophy in 2013. The following year, he was paired with TV personality
Alison Hammond and the couple got off to a strong start in the competition,
finishing joint sixth on the judges’ leaderboard for their Cha Cha Cha.
However, Alison unfortunately couldn’t keep it up, and a week after the famous
dance-off during which she momentarily blinded Aljaž with her sleeve, the couple
were eliminated, finishing tenth.
4th: Christine Bleakley and Matthew Cutler
- First Dance: Foxtrot to “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra
- Score: 27 (6, 6, 8, 7)
Matthew Cutler won the fifth series of Strictly in 2007 with
Alesha Dixon, who was, at the time, the best-performing Strictly contestant by
average score and would later serve as a judge. He returned to the show in 2008
and danced with TV presenter Christine. As with all female celebrities between
2006 and 2008, her first performance came in Week 2, and the couple’s score of
27 left them third out of eight on the leaderboard. Christine and Matthew
eventually made it to Week 11, finishing fifth out of sixteen couples.
=2nd: Sarah Manners and Brendan Cole
- First Dance: Waltz to “I Wonder Why” by Curtis Stigers
- Score: 28 (6, 7, 7, 8)
Entering the top three, we go back to the earliest
contestant on this list. Brendan Cole won the first ever series of Strictly in
2004, dancing with Natasha Kaplinsky. He returned for the second series and was
partnered with actress Sarah Manners. The couple started well, with a score of
28 for the Waltz leaving them third on the leaderboard (ahead of eventual
winner Jill Halfpenny); however, Sarah and Brendan famously didn’t get along,
and were eliminated in Week 5 after performing the Samba.
Sadly, no videos of Sarah's time on Strictly are available.
=2nd: Holly Valance and Artem Chigvintsev
- First Dance: Cha Cha Cha to “Who’s That Chick?” by David Guetta, feat. Rihanna
- Score: 28 (6, 7, 8, 7)
Artem joined Strictly in 2010, and took the title that very
same year with Kara Tointon, with whom he was in a relationship for four years.
In 2011, Artem’s celebrity partner was actress and singer Holly Valance.
Performing first in Week 1, they ended up joint second on the leaderboard, and continued
to score highly throughout the competition. After an injury to Artem caused him
to miss a week, and a couple of weeks in the bottom two, Holly was eliminated
along with Alex Jones in the semi-finals.
1st: Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola
- First Dance: Quickstep to “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton
- Score: 30 (8, 8, 7, 7)
Finally, topping the list is our most recent contestant, 2024’s
Sarah Hadland. Vito was paired with Sarah after taking the glitterball on only
the second time of asking with Ellie Leach the previous year. The couple
started very strongly with a Quickstep that earned an unusually generous 8 from
Craig in Week 1; and from that point on they only scored below 30 on one
occasion. Sarah ended up taking Vito to his third consecutive final, but couldn’t
quite manage to clinch the trophy.
Looking back at these first dances, it’s clear that a
glitterball win doesn’t guarantee an easy start the following year. Some pros hit
the ground running with their new partners, whilst others found themselves with
a mountain to climb. No matter how dazzling last year’s final was, every series of
Strictly begins with a clean slate.
As this new series begins, it will be fascinating to see
whether last year’s champion Dianne can keep the momentum going, or if the
Strictly curse of the ‘post-win wobble’ strikes again. She was clearly very
excited to be paired with fellow Aussie Stefan Dennis; however, so far, no
female pro has scored higher than 21 for a post-victory first dance. Only time
will tell, and I’m looking forward to seeing where Dianne ends up on this list.
Which of these dances do you remember most? Do you think
winning pros get an advantage (or a disadvantage) or is it all down to the luck
of the draw with their new celebrity partner? Share your thoughts in the
comments – I’d love to hear what you think.
Comments
Post a Comment