Lisa Riley had a great start to the week on Monday, waking up on a ship to begin her day's work. The Loose Women panellist revealed that she was working with Strictly Come Dancing star Ian Waite, and shared a photo of the pair on board the Strictly's Azura cruise. "Working with my great friend @ianjwaite is just wonderful. He REALLY does brighten up my day. With his passion for life and his Jackanory Stories. It’s like we’ve never been apart. Love you to bits #friends #strictlycomedancing #strictly#azura #shiplife #catchup," Lisa wrote in the caption. The ship is currently in Rome until Tuesday, until heading on to Cartagena in Spain, and Lisa has been on board since the 21 July. The star has reunited with other Strictly pals as she takes part in the dance tour, including Giovanni Pernice and Oti Mabuse.
Lisa Riley with Strictly star Ian Waite
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Ian himself had shared a photo of him with his mum on the boat a few days ago, where he told his followers: "Excited to be taking my mum to Rome for a few days and then onto the #Strictly @pandocruises with @British_Airways #excited #rome #mum#family #ba." It's been an exciting time of travelling for Ian, who last week was in Boston with his husband Drew. The happy couple were celebrating their first wedding anniversary, and were pictured enjoying the view at a rooftop restaurant in the city centre.
The star has been having fun spending time with her former Strictly pals
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Lisa appeared in Strictly in 2012 with professional dance partner Robin Windsor. The pair formed an incredible bond and won over the viewers with their on-screen chemistry, and went on to compete in the semi-finals, with Team GB gymnast Louis Smith being crowned the overall winner in the grand finale. Lisa recently spoke out about her relationship with Robin during an exclusive interview with HELLO!, where she revealed that BBC bosses had first partnered her up with another professional - Artem Chigvintsev.
Lisa appeared in Strictly in 2012
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She disclosed: "You know the original plan - I don't know if people know this... me and Robin were never ever supposed to be paired up. In the original break-down I was with Artem. And Fern Britton, she was with Robin." Explaining why the changed occurred, Lisa continued: "What happened was - when you go into hiding, for those three days, the preparation three days, they just saw us like this (she clicked); the camaraderie. We were like two little four year olds playing around. They were like, 'that has to happen'. Then Fern got Artem and I got Robin. It was Strictly magic!"