The BBC One show Strictly Come Dancing has long been associated with what fans call the 'Strictly curse' – a phenomenon where celebrity contestants and professional dancers form romantic attachments, leading to relationship break-ups or scandals.
Comedian Seann Walsh and his married dance partner Katya Jones are the latest to be embroiled in the drama. They apologised after photographs emerged of them kissing in the street during a night out, which they described as a 'drunken mistake'.
The curse first gained notoriety in 2004 when newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky was paired with Brendan Cole. Brendan split from his fiancée Camilla Dallerup during the series amid rumours of a close bond with Natasha. Both have denied an affair, though Brendan admitted there was 'chemistry'.
Other notable cases include boxer Joe Calzaghe, who split from his long-term girlfriend Jo-Emma Larvin during the 2009 series, later dating his dance partner Kristina Rihanoff for four years. Rugby star Ben Cohen also left his wife Abby Blayney after being partnered with Kristina in 2013, and the pair later publicly dated.
Professional dancer Flavia Cacace ended her long-term relationship with fellow dancer Vincent Simone during the 2007 series after being paired with actor Matt Di Angelo, whom she later dated. Countdown star Rachel Riley split from her husband shortly after appearing on the show in 2013, and later confirmed a relationship with her dance partner Pasha Kovalev, though she insisted it began after the show ended.
Rachel Riley has dismissed the idea of a 'curse', telling the Daily Mail's Event magazine that the show 'serves as a magnifying glass that shows up pre-existing fault lines'.
