Stacey Dooley couldn’t believe it when she was crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing 2018 alongside pro dancer Kevin Clifton on Saturday night. But just hours after being handed over the Glitterball trophy, Stacey feared the worst when she couldn’t find it following the Strictly afterparty. The journalist's co-star Dr Ranj opened up about her ordeal on The Telegraph's podcast, Talking Strictly. The This Morning medical expert said: "Here's a little secret – so after the after party, I may have snuck a picture with Stacey's trophy. Then there was a message on the WhatsApp group yesterday saying 'Has anyone seen my trophy? I left it in the room with all the bags and now I can't find it.'"
Stacey Dooley feared she couldn't find the Strictly Glitterball after getting drunk at the afterparty
Dr Ranj was certain that he hadn’t taken it home, and asked Stacey: "You didn’t leave it in the cab did you?" When Stacey said no, Dr Ranj asked himself how many drinks he had drank. "I was like 'How many drinks did I have?'" he said. Luckily for Stacey, the trophy was later found, and Dr Ranj believes that it had been put away for safe keeping. The Glitterball trophy is kept in the hands of the Strictly team all year around, with the winners receiving miniature versions of it to keep instead. During an appearance on Monday's This Morning, Stacey and Kevin explained: "We got little mini ones. The real one stays with Strictly, you get that for about two minutes."
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Stacey and dance partner Kevin Clifton were crowned the winners on Saturday night
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Kevin and Stacey formed a close friendship during their time working together, and winning meant the world to Kevin in particular – who has found himself in the final of Strictly a number of times. Kevin grew up with a dancing background, with his parents running the Cliftons Dance Academy, while his sister Joanne Clifton is a former pro dancer on Strictly, having won the Glitterball trophy herself in 2016 with Ore Oduba. Kevin's dad Keith spoke about Kevin's reaction to winning, which saw the pro fall to his knees as his name was announced. Chatting to Grimsby Live, Keith said: "His knees gave way. He was that relieved! It was shock and relief. It has been a long haul. He had been in four previous finals. He was overjoyed, not just for himself but for Stacey too. He put in 14-hour days throughout the series to try to make her a wonderful dancer. Stacey wanted to be the best she could be and he was prepared to help her all the way."
The past Strictly winners
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