Strictly Come Dancing star's strange connection to major actor unearthed in old ITV interview

Strictly Come Dancing star's strange connection to major actor unearthed in old ITV interview

Actor Martin Clunes and dance icon Arlene Phillips have a surprising link that even their most devoted fans might not be aware of.

During a rerun of ITV's Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, which aired again this morning (September 22), the duo revealed the unexpected tale of their first meeting.

Former Strictly star Arlene Phillips was sat next to the Doc Martin actor as Alan probed them about their respective histories. The chat turned to dancing when Alan showed a clip of Martin in his role as Gary Strang in Men Behaving Badly doing some classic "dad" dance moves while holding a pint.

"Arlene, you say everyone can dance. I think we've just proved you wrong," Alan quipped after the clip ended.

"How dare you," Martin retorted, while Arlene replied: "I have to say... we will rock you... there's a lot of headbanging. So, it is claimed as a dance somewhere."

Arlene Phillips and Martin Clunes chat with Alan Titchmarsh in a wooden barn and sat on top of tall stools
Arlene Phillips and Martin Clunes share an interesting history -Credit:(Image: ITV)

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Alan then asked Martin if he had any other dance moves to show. "Only dad dancing then Martin, nothing more elaborate?" he asked.

"Oh yes," Martin responded. "They've asked me to go on Strictly but I don't need to because I'm a lovely dancer already," he confessed. Arlene laughed at his comment, labelling it an "expert answer". Her compliment led Alan to delve into the pair's relationship, leading to a significant revelation from Martin about their initial encounter, and it wasn't on TV, reports the Express.

Martin couldn't help but smirk as he shared a surprising bit of history: "I used to share a flat with Arlene's old man," leading to an outburst of laughter. Arlene chimed in, "How random is that?".

She went on to reminisce about their past: "In those wilder days, I would say now... I think we've both tamed," which sparked another round of giggles among them.

This nostalgic exchange was part of a repeat episode that aired the morning following Strictly Come Dancing's first live show of the new season. Arlene, who served as a judge on the popular BBC dance competition from 2004 to 2008, saw her role on the judging panel taken over by Alesha Dixon in 2009.