Viewers of Saturday night's episode of Strictly Come Dancing were surprised to find that one of the show's most famous couples didn't get a mention. The whole episode was devoted to the relationships between professional dancers and their celebrity partners, so was inevitable that part of the show would highlight some of the famous couples who got together during or after appearing on Strictly. Yet viewers were surprised to see last year's winners Kevin Clifton and Stacey Dooley weren't included in the round-up.
The couple confirmed their romance in August
The show did pay tribute to Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez, who welcomed baby Mia this summer, as well as Dianne Buswell as YouTube star Joe Sugg, plus Giovanni Pernice and his girlfriend, pussycat doll Ashley Roberts. Fans took to Twitter to express their shock, writing: "Nobody mentioning Stacey and Kevin in the show romances" and "Kevin and Stacey missed out of the relationship bit then loooooool."
MORE: Strictly Come Dancing's Katya and Neil prove they’re still close despite split as they compare notes
The episode did reveal some juicy behind-the-scenes gossip about the start of Kevin and Stacey's partnership, however. Kevin admitted that he was keen to dance with the documentary filmmaker, believing they would make a good team. He even said that he didn't want his colleague AJ talking to Stacey at rehearsals, in case he was paired with her instead. "Cannot believe I’ve just heard Kevin Clifton talk about AJ taking Stacey Dooley away from him to get to know her at rehearsals and him say, 'IT’S NOT LOVE ISLAND MATE.' Maybe he should have told himself that, wooooooow the irony," wrote one viewer.
The 2018 Strictly cast were a close-knit group
READ: Kevin Clifton's love life: his three wives and other known partners
Kevin, 36, and Stacey, 32 started a relationship after being paired up on Strictly in 2018, with Stacey's ex-boyfriend Sam Tucknott revealing back in April that the couple started dating after he and Stacey split up during the run of the show. Kevin and Stacey finally confirmed they were together last month. It remains to be seen what romantic entanglements the show might bring this year, if any, but that's just one more reason to tune in when the live shows finally return to our screens on 21 September…
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