Strictly Come Dancing champion Stacey Dooley has opened up about the strain on her relationship with her boyfriend of seven years, Sam Tucknott. Fresh from her Strictly nationwide tour, the 31-year-old reflected on the ups and downs of their personal life on Friday's episode of The Russell Howard Hour. When asked if her boyfriend joins her during her travels around the world, she replied: "My boyfriend never goes with me, he would be useless."
"I sort of get a bit annoyed when he's not crying and sliding down the walls when I leave for these places," she added. "I'm like, 'Are you not scared I'm never going to return? Are you not scared you're going to lose the love of your life? And he's like, 'You'll be fine, you'll be back in two weeks moaning about the state of the flat.' And he's right, that's exactly what I do!" On keeping her calm, the TV star explained: "I say to myself before I put the key in the door, 'Don't kick off about the state of the flat because it doesn't matter.'
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"I go in, the first thing I say is, 'Have you been busy at work? Is that why the dishes are in the sink?' I'm all passive aggressive. He will be like, 'Don't start' and that's fair, I think, 'I'm too jet-lagged, we'll resume this tomorrow.' He contributes in other ways... not like that!" Following her win on Strictly, the pair have been spending some time apart due to Stacey's increasing TV commitments and the tour.
The comments come shortly after Stacey revealed her plans to start a family in the future. She told The Times Magazine that it was something she would very much like to happen in the future – but not quite yet. While discussing the subject of watching One Born Every Minute, she said: "I close my legs and think, I'm never going to do that." The journalist added: "In the future [having children] is something I would like, but work is so brilliant at the minute, it would be too soon."
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