Strictly’s KEVIN CLIFTON AND HIS SISTER JOANNE CLIFTON TALK SIBLING RIVALRY
STRICTLY COME DANCING’S KEVIN AND JOANNE CLIFTON GET COMPETITIVE AS THEY TALK TO ok! ABOUT BACKSTAGE NERVES AND RELATIONSHIPS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
It’s rare to see a brother and sister dance duo make it mainstream but for Kevin and Joanne Clifton, dance runs through their veins. Taught by their parents – former World Champions Keith and Judy Clifton who run a dance school in Grimsby, Lincolnshire – the supremos started partnering with each other in ballroom and Latin as children and went on to compete on the international stage.
In 2013, Kevin shot to fame on
Strictly Come Dancing, coming in second place with Susanna Reid. A year later, Joanne followed, before winning the 14th series in 2016 with Ore Oduba. She left the following year for a career in musical theatre and is currently touring as Janet in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Kevin, of course, went on to win
Strictly last year with Stacey Dooley whom he found love with off screen following his divorce to professional dancer Karen Hauer.
Now the Cliftons are getting ready to partner again for theatre extravaganza, Burn The Floor.
When OK! meets the pair for rehearsals, Joanne, 36, excitedly reveals she’s going on a date later and hopes her make-up lasts! Meanwhile, Kevin is fresh from rehearsing for the Strictly Christmas special with Debbie Mcgee.
It’s clear to see that Kevin, 37, and Joanne adore one another, finishing each other’s sentences and teasing
each other over their idiosyncrasies in the way that only siblings do.
Settling down on the sofa with a coffee, the pair debate dating choices, sibling rivalry and bad habits. Let the battle commence...
How competitive do you two get with each other?
Kevin: I used to be the most competitive by far and Jo wasn’t really bothered.
Joanne: If we got a rubbish result I was fine but he’d throw tantrums. Kevin: I was passionate!
Is there a lot of sibling rivalry between you?
Joanne: Playfully – it’s not serious. But I did win the show before him!
Kevin: Yeah, but I’ve made five finals. I also won the Strictly tour Glitter Ball, the main show and then the Children In Need special.
Have either of you disliked the other’s choice of romantic partner? Kevin: I have to vet all of Jo’s! Joanne: You didn’t like the Italian one from years ago.
Kevin: She’s always nervous of bringing any lad to meet me.
Do you still dance with your partner Stacey, Kevin? Kevin: A little bit. Sometimes if a song comes on we have a little dance at home. I keep trying to rope her into Burn The Floor.
Joanne: We should get Ore, too! It would be so good with Stacey and Ore on the show.
Kevin, how do you feel about Stacey saying she’s baffled by the huge interest in your romance?
What she was saying – and I get it – is she does some really in-depth stuff on serious world issues, but that doesn’t sell the papers, so let’s go with ‘who does she fancy?’ instead. It blows her mind a little bit.
Do you worry for Stacey’s safety when she’s filming in dangerous situations?
I suppose it’s something I’ve got to get used to. She can handle herself. She’s been doing it for ten years so she knows what she’s doing. She’s very good at what she does. Of course you’re hoping she’ll be okay but she’s very good at letting me know what’s happening.
How hard is it when you’re apart?
It’s the nature of her job and I’m used to being on tour, so it’s fine. We just Facetime!
Joanne, if Kevin wasn’t in the business, would you have entered?
No I wouldn’t have. I don’t even know if I’d have danced. He’s going to get big-headed now, but I’ve always looked up to him and just copied what he did.
Kevin: So what you’re saying is... I was your inspiration? [Laughs].
Was there ever a Plan B?
Joanne: Yes. I was going to be a lorry driver and I was going to transport mushrooms!
Kevin: I told you she talks nonsense! I was going to be a wrestler for WWE but that obviously was never going to happen. I also fancied being a writer or a journalist.
What’s each other’s best and worst habit?
Joanne: Kevin always gives 100 per cent in all he does. The worst is, he won’t let anybody else play music in the car. He’s so stubborn on a long journey and always has been.
Kevin: But you’ve always got to put musical theatre songs on, like The Sound Of Music, and you belt away to it which is annoying!
Do you both get nervous before a show? Kevin: Be it stage or TV, I’m a bag of nerves. I have to go through a whole ritual. First I play loud music – my favourite is Robbie Williams, and this is one of his rituals that I’ve copied. He says, ‘Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, the wisdom to know the difference and the desire.’ Then I add: ‘Robbie, grant me your energy and let me entertain them.’ Then I have to bang both hands on the floor and stretch them out wide in one move. I have to hit the floor before going on so I feel massive and confident. It puts me in the zone of being a big character, like a rock star or a wrestler, rather than just Kevin.
What made you want to team up together on Burn The Floor?
Kevin: Jo came to watch one of the shows and afterwards she said to me, that’s the first time since I stopped dancing that I’ve had that feeling of wanting to dance again.
Joanne: I thought I’d closed that chapter after leaving Strictly for musicals.
Kevin: Burn The Floor changed my whole dance career and introduced me to how to perform and create a character, with emotion and storytelling. I wouldn’t be dancing today if it wasn’t for Burn The Floor.
Joanne: It’s ballroom dancing, reinvented. There’s so much passion and performance.
How proud will your parents be of seeing the two of you in the show together? Kevin: They’ll be in tears. Seeing us both in Grimsby on the tour, on the same stage, in our home town will be a moment for them.
Joanne: They haven’t seen us perform together in years. They’ve never seen us sing together, so it will be very special for them.
‘burn the floor changed my whole dance career’