Royal Ascot always gives racegoers, including some of our most stylish female celebrities, the chance to show off their favourite formal looks. It also gives some of them the chance to bump into people they've worked with in the past, which was the case on Wednesday, when Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte Hawkins, 44, was unexpectantly reunited with former Strictly Come Dancing judge Dame Darcey Bussell on day two of the five-day event.
© Photo: PADarcey left Strictly Come Dancing earlier this year after a seven-year stint
Both stars had pulled out all the stops, with the 50-year-old former ballerina accessorising a flowing white and black dress with a dramatic wide-brimmed black hat while Charlotte wore all white with nude accessories.
Darcey sensationally quit Strictly earlier this year after establishing herself as a popular addition in her seven years on the panel. That leaves one of the judges' spots open with no news yet as to who might fill her pointe shoes.
But she was still giving feedback when Charlotte competed on the show's fifteenth series back in 2017, dancing with former winner Brendan Cole. Charlotte wasn't able to help him repeat his earlier success, when he lifted the glitterball trophy with newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky in series one. In fact, Darcey wasn't her biggest fan as a dancer, criticising both her movements and her facial expressions. But she also advised her "you'll come back stronger" when she survived the dance-off after a 12-point score put her in last place.
Charlotte wore a white Suzannah dress for day two of Royal Ascot
She clung on until week four of the competition and Brendan went on to leave the show in 2018 after 14 years, when the BBC chose not to renew his contract. It followed a series of heated exchange with head judge Shirley Ballas, who joined the programme in 2017, replacing Len Goodman.
READ MORE: Darcey Bussell reveals REAL reason she quit Strictly Come Dancing
Ascot might have a little less drama and a lot fewer sequins but it's one of the highlights of the royal calendar. The Queen has two horses racing this year, Elector and Seniority, so she will no doubt be keen to keep an eye on the race results. In the past, she's had 23 winners, including Dartmouth, who was victorious in the Hardwicke Stakes in 2016.
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