He may be the reigning champion of Strictly Come Dancing and a firm favourite amongst viewers, but life hasn't always been sweet for Kevin Clifton. Before joining the show as a professional in 2013, the 36-year-old revealed when times were difficult, he would sleep and live out of his car. Speaking on his podcast, The Kevin Clifton Show, the TV star shared: "If there's no one there, I'll sleep in my car and then I can afford two of my dance lessons tomorrow." Kevin explained how he was forced to choose between spending his money on petrol to drive back to his grandmother's house to sleep, trying to find a friend's house in London or sleep in his car.
© Photo: Getty ImagesKevin Clifton joined Strictly in 2013
"I spent loads of time sleeping in my car - basically living out of my car - and having no work," he added. "It's not all glamour. People think we live these easy, showbiz, glamorous lives and it's not like that." Kevin, who joined Strictly as a fulltime professional in 2013, went on to recall how he would scrape his last pennies together to pay for his dance lessons. "There's been times where I was just getting fired from job after job - normal office jobs, just trying to sustain my dancer career," he explained.
MORE: Jamie Oliver's wife Jools throws her support behind Lisa Faulkner
"I was basically looking in my wallet going, I've just been fired from another job. I've got four lessons tomorrow; I already can’t pay for two of them." He continued: "I'm going to have to blag it with the teacher and say, 'Oh, there's been a problem at the bank. I'm going to have to give you the money on my next lesson.'" Kevin then joined Strictly after being rejected twice for the show. He went on to win last year's series with dance partner - and now-girlfriend Stacey Dooley. This year, Kevin has partnered up with Anneka Rice, a presenter and broadcaster.
MORE: Brendan Cole and Craig Revel Horwood prove there are no hard feelings as they reunite
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
