Their new tour Here Come the Girls is all about girl power and female empowerment. But boys are more than welcome too - and one boy in particular will be joining Dianne Buswell, Amy Dowden and Chloe Hewitt as they tour the country in a show packed full of dazzling ballroom and Latin routines; Dianne’s boyfriend, internet sensation Joe Sugg.
Joe Sugg will be joining the girls for some of their tour
The couple have been inseparable since their pairing on the dancefloor last September led to real-life romance and Dianne, 29, says it would be a wrench to be apart. "Separation anxiety," she nodded.
"He'll be travelling with me to quite a few of the places. With his job, he can do it anywhere, so no matter whether he's in Glasgow or wherever, he can still work." Australian-born Dianne is clearly smitten with the YouTube star who has more than 8 million subscribers to his channel where he documents his life and uploads videos of himself playing pranks and games. The dancer scrolls through videos of the pair on her phone as she has her hair done for our shoot. "Things are going well between us. He's adorable and lovely," she smiled. "We just have such a great connection. We don't even think about what the secret to it is – it's just so natural. We both have a very similar personality, so we almost know what each other is thinking. We just get on so, so well."
Dianne and Joe narrowly missed out on winning the Glitterball
When did they realise their partnership had become more than just friends? "It wasn’t really so much while we were on the show because we were so focused. She spots a raised eyebrow and laughed: "Honestly, when I say there was no time, there really wasn't. It was heads down, thumbs up, getting the dances right. It was more afterwards. We'd spent all this time together and done so well in the show and that’s when we had the time to actually go out on a date. But before that we’d formed a very nice bond together, that’s for sure."
READ MORE: Inside Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell's romantic £300-a-night Finnish escape
Their partnership propelled Joe to second place behind series winner Stacey Dooley but, Dianne proudly told us, they won the live tour. "We did 29 shows and every night there's a winner. The audience vote for their favourite couple and Joe and I won 28 of the shows. It's a record. Nobody has ever done it before. We have two big matching Glitterballs now." After our shoot, Dianne appeared in Joe's YouTube "life update" videoas he talked about their win – and their relationship. "Dianne's become a very big part of my life and makes me very happy," he said.
Dianne's fellow pro Amy – currently the only British-born female dancer on Strictly – will also be taking her man along when the girls head off on tour. "He's my dance partner in this show," she says of fiancé Ben Jones. The couple plan to marry next year with a lavish summer wedding in her native Wales with bridesmaids including Strictly co-star Oti Mabuse. "We would love to have got married this year but we're very lucky to have been so busy, and we just want to enjoy the build-up," she said. "They say as you get older time goes faster, and it certainly does. But next year it's blocked out in the diary. So we know we can fit in a stag and a hen do, too." The couple run a dance school in the West Midlands, as well as dancing together onstage – disproving the adage that you shouldn't work with your partner. "We don’t know any different," smiled Amy, 27, who got engaged on New Year's Eve in 2017. "We just idolise one another. He puts it really well – he says we've both got what each other needs. What I have missing he has, and vice versa. We need each other to function."
The couple are closer than ever
Chloe, however, won’t have her new boyfriend in tow. "We don’t need men," laughs the Chester-born dancer, who shot to fame alongside AJ Pritchard when they auditioned on Britain’s Got Talent in 2013. Both went on to land roles as professionals on Strictly. "I am seeing someone actually, but it's early days so I'd like to keep it private," said the 23-year- old, who has been so dedicated to her dance career that she missed out on "normal" things like dating and parties. "I started dancing when I was seven and competing when I was 11," she said. "I was approached by AJ's parents – I went to their dance school – to dance with him." She moved in with his family to make things easier with training. "We spent 12 years dancing together and now our lives are going down different paths. But we try to keep in contact. I still go to his parents' dance studio back home, so I find out how he is through them. It’s weird because you’re inside each other's pockets – then all of a sudden you’re not."
READ MORE: Strictly star Stacey Dooley's ex-boyfriend speaks out following their shock split
While AJ still appears on Strictly, Chloe is no longer part of the show – much to fans' dismay. "I did two years and you don't realise how much of an impact you have. I wasn't expecting that reaction when I left. It was sad, but I saw it as a positive – as one thing ends, another begins. I knew I was going to miss everybody. Would I go back? Never say never." But now she has the tour to focus on. "I'm super excited. It's us three girls and we want to sell this whole sense of female empowerment . Women rule," says Chloe. "We can't wait to portray that through dance."
Dianne is taking dance tips from Joe
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