Yahoo News Strictly Come Dancing: 13 Times The Infamous Strictly 'Curse' Struck
While it’d be easy to think that the hardest thing about Strictly Come Dancing is learning to tell your Argentine Tango from your Viennese Waltz, the celebs taking part face a much tougher task – avoiding the infamous “Strictly curse”.
The curse claimed its first victim in 2004, when newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky split from her partner after appearing on the show.
Since then, plenty of other celebs have seen their relationships fall apart during, or just after, their time on the BBC dance show.
Check out the Strictly stars affected by the “curse” below…
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Rachel Riley
The Countdown presenter announced her split from her husband just weeks after her stint on the show. In 2014, she and pro dancer Pasha Kovalev confirmed they were dating, though she remained insistent that Strictly had nothing to do with her marriage split.
Rachel and Pasha later tied the knot and now have two children together, with the TV personality recently trying to distance herself from Strictly's so-called "curse".
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Susanna Reid
Susanna's marriage ended in February 2014, weeks after she finished as a runner-up in the competition. The Good Morning Britain anchor continued to live with her ex, Dominic Cotton, and their two sons in the months that followed.
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Louise Redknapp
After reaching the final of the 2016 series, Louise began to be plagued with rumours her 19-year marriage to former footballer Jamie Redknapp was on the rocks. Months later, the couple confirmed they had gone their separate ways.
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Joe Calzaghe
Boxer Joe and pro dancer Kristina Rihanoff initally denied romance rumours when they were paired together in 2009. However Joe split from his girlfriend just weeks later. Joe and Kristina later confirmed that they were a couple, before splitting after four years together.
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Ben Cohen
While on the show, Ben denied rumours that he was romancing his pro partner Kristina, and later split from his wife Abby. He and Kristina went on to confirm their relationship but remained insistent it had only begun after the breakdown of his marriage. The couple now have a child together.
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Matt Di Angelo
The EastEnders star reportedly first hooked up with Flavia Cacace during their time dancing together on the 2008 series – on which Flavia's then-boyfriend Vincent Simone was also a dancer. However, they weren't together for long...
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Jimi Mistry
Just a year after getting together with Matt, Flavia ended the relationship after finding love with her new dance partner Jimi. The couple married in 2013.
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Natasha Kaplinsky
Newsreader Natasha and Brendan were plagued by romance rumours when they were paired up for the first ever series of Strictly in 2004. Despite being insistent that they were just friends, Natasha and Brendan both split from their partners shortly after winning the series.
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Daisy Lowe
Daisy split from her boyfriend Bradley "Frankie" Wade during her stint on Strictly in 2016. The relationship was still quite new and the pair struggled to find the time to see each other with her commitments to the show.
Eamonn M. McCormack via Getty Images
Sunetra Sarker
Sunetra split from her husband of 10 years just before filming for the 2014 series began.
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Dani Harmer
Tracey Beaker star Dani split from her boyfriend just days after filming began in 2012.
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Helen George
Just after Helen announced she was one of the 2015 contestants, the Call The Midwife actor revealed she was splitting from her husband of four years, Oliver Boot.
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Georgia May Foote
Georgia entered Strictly while in a relationship with former Coronation Street co-star Sean Ward. However, just after the series ended, the couple announced their split, and it wasn't long before she embarked on a relationship with dance partner Giovanni Pernice. They eventually broke up after less than a year together.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost UK and has been updated.
