DANCING UP A STORM

Let’s face the music and dance... Marion McMullen looks at the ‘curse’ of Strictly Come Dancing

1when RELATIONSHIPS can be the first casualty celebrities take part in BBC hit show Strictly Come Dancing. Comedian Seann Walsh and his dance partner Katya Jones, left, have confirmed they will return to dance the charleston on Saturday after they were pictured kissing after a night out. Katya, who is married to Strictly dancer Neil Jones, and Seann have both apologised for making a mistake. Seann’s girlfriend Rebecca Humphries has publicly dumped him. IT is said the Strictly curse began in the *rst series in 2004 when newsreader Natasha Kaplinksy and professional Brendan Cole both left their partners post-show, but denied there was any funny business oMscreen. STRICTLY Come Dancing star Karen Clifton has said she undergoes therapy to cope following her “difficult” split from husband and co-star Kevin Clifton, above. The dancers announced their separation in March after three years of marriage. Karen is paired this year with Casualty star Charles Venn, while Kevin is partnered with broadcaster Stacey Dooley. LOUISE Redknapp ended her marriage to footballer Jamie after she took part in Strictly two years ago. She later relaunched her stage career saying she had “lost herself” in the marriage, feeling like a Stepford Wife. PROFESSIONAL dancers Flavia Cacace and Vincent Simone’s personal relationship was the casualty in 2007 when she fell for her celebrity partner Matt Di Angelo, right. They called it quits in 2010 with Flavia later marrying her new dance partner actor Jimi Mistry in a romantic Christmas wedding ceremony in 2013. BOXING champ Joe Calzaghe split from his girlfriend in 2009 to start a relationship with dance partner Kristina RihanoM. Their relationship lasted until 2013. Rugby player Ben Cohen left his wife of 11 years, Abby Blayney in 2013 for Kristina when they were paired up for Strictly, above. The couple had a daughter called Milena in June 2016. HOLLYOAKS actress Ali Bastian teamed up with her Strictly partner Brian Fortuna in real life in 2009. They danced together in the West End show Burn The Floor, but the relationship ended a year later. 8 CORONATION Street’s Georgia May Foote’s relationship with soap co-star Sean Ward ended when she took part in Strictly’s 2015 season. She was pictured kissing her professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice in Disneyland Paris, but their relationship was shortlived and ended before the next season of the BBC show. 9 COUNTDOWN’S Rachel Riley announced her 15 month marriage to Jamie Gilbert was over after she took part in Strictly in 2013. She said her relationship with dance partner Pasha Kovalev was not behind the split, but the couple confirmed their relationship in 2014 and are still together. 10 FORMER EastEnders and Mr Selfridge star Kara Tointon fell for her partner, Artem Chigvinstev, when she appeared on the show in 2010. The actress went on to win the glitterball trophy but her relationship with the Russian dancer ended after three years.