Aliona Vilani is one of only two Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers to have won the glitterball trophy twice with celebrity partners. The Kazakh ballroom champion, now 42, joined the BBC series in 2009 and left in 2015, during which time she finished second with presenter Matt Baker and won with McFly's Harry Judd and The Wanted's Jay McGuiness.
A memorable jive remembered by fans
Her season 13 jive with Jay McGuiness to a Pulp Fiction medley is often considered one of the best dances in Strictly history, having been viewed over 5.2 million times on YouTube. When it was named during a TV special in 2020 as the most memorable dance in Strictly history at the time, fans took to social media to celebrate.
One fan wrote: "Jay and Aliona’s Jive absolutely deserves the top stop on the #Strictly countdown. I’ve never forgotten it. It was the best dance ever!" Another remarked: "Jay and Aliona’s Pulp Fiction Jive at number one… where it should be." Some viewers were surprised it did not achieve a perfect score, receiving three nines and a 10 from the four judges. "Wait – Jay McGuiness’ Jive only scored 37? Scandalous," a Twitter user wrote.
While Aliona never scored a 40 with Jay, she received perfect scores from the judges twice with Harry Judd, for their Argentine Tango and their Quickstep.
Controversy and life after Strictly
Former children's TV presenter Johnny Ball took part in Strictly in 2012 and was initially partnered with Aliona and then Iveta Lukošiūtė. In 2017 Johnny launched an attack on his Strictly dance partners, accusing them of fixing it so he got booted off first. He told The Sun on Sunday: "Aliona fell on a flat floor in flat shoes and said she had broken her leg. The next day she flew to the South of France for a pre-arranged weekend with her boyfriend."
The star was then paired with Iveta, and he claimed that she devised a routine that was too difficult for him. He said: "When I was knocked out she said, ‘That’s funny, my contract ends on Tuesday’." Aliona strongly denied the claims.
Strictly superfans were shocked when, just days after claiming her second glitterball trophy with Jay, Aliona announced she was leaving the show. At the time of her departure, it was rumoured that she was quitting to start a family with husband Vincent Kavanagh. They welcomed baby daughter Bella in 2017. Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
