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The Strictly Curse: a history of how one Saturday night TV show wreaked domestic havoc

Jamie Redknapp and wife Louise Redknapp - Getty
Jamie Redknapp and wife Louise Redknapp - Getty

Another season of Strictly Come Dancing will soon be upon us, with all of the sequins, Vaseline smiles and fake tan we have come to expect.

But the BBC's Saturday night juggernaut has been known to come with another, less favourable, trapping: the fabled "Curse of Strictly". The show has a troubled history of sparking relationship trouble among its contestants, and last year the press were fascinated with the state of Louise Redknapp's marriage, after rumours that her partying with other contestants, such as Daisy Lowe, caused friction with her footballer husband Jamie.

Kevin Clifton and Louise Redknapp on the 2016 series of Strictly Come Dancing - Credit: BBC
Kevin Clifton and Louise Redknapp on the 2016 series of Strictly Come DancingCredit: BBC

The Redknapps, however, remain together and are approaching their 20th wedding anniversary. But few have been as lucky.  Here's a quick rundown of some of the previous victims of the Strictly curse:

Georgia May Foote

Foote split from her actor boyfriend, Coronation Street star Sean Ward, while filming Strictly in 2015, and was later revealed to be in a new relationship with her dance partner Giovanni Pernice. The pair ended their relationship in August 2016.

Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice on Strictly - Credit: PA
Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice on StrictlyCredit: PA

Rachel Riley

Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev on Strictly - Credit: PA
Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev on StrictlyCredit: PA

Rachel Riley split from her husband shortly after taking part in the 2013 series, during which she was partnered with dancer Pasha Kovalev..

Although she claimed at the time that they were not involved, Riley and Kovalev later revealed, in 2014, that they were in a relationship.

Brendan Cole and Natasha Kaplinsky

Brendan Cole and Natasha Kaplinsky on Strictly Come Dancing - Credit: BBC
Brendan Cole and Natasha Kaplinsky on Strictly Come DancingCredit: BBC

The first series of Strictly in 2004 was dogged by rumours of an affair between newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky and her dance partner Brendan Cole.

Kaplinksy has always insisted there was nothing between her and Cole but the gossip culminated in the collapse of both her 12-year relationship and Cole's relationship with fellow dancer and fiancée Camilla Dallerup.

Flavia Cacace

Flavia Cacace - Credit: Andrew Crowley
Flavia CacaceCredit: Andrew Crowley

Flavia was in a long-term relationship with her dance partner Vincent Simone when she partnered with Matt Di Angelo, then 19.

Shortly afterwards, Cacace's 11-year relationship with Simone came to an end and she and Di Angelo began dating.

However their romance ended in 2010, and a few weeks later Cacace revealed she was dating her latest partner, actor Jimi Mistry.

Vincent Simone

After Cacace left him, Simone went on to have a relationship with Susan Duddy.

But when Duddy was five months pregnant with Simone's baby, she walked out on him having discovered an affair between him and fellow dancer Kristina Rihanoff.

They later reunited after the birth of their son Luca.

Joe Calzaghe

World champion boxer Joe Calzaghe dated model Jo-Emma Larvin for five years before they split up in August 2009 as Calzaghe began Strictly. Friends claimed they had been rowing before the split.

Ricky Whittle

Ricky Whittle and Natalie Lowe - Credit: BBC
Ricky Whittle and Natalie LoweCredit: BBC

Ricky split from his girlfriend of two years, fellow Hollyoaks star Carley Stenson, and went on to date dance partner Natalie Lowe.

This made them the third couple to get up close and personal on the 2009 series.

Strictly Come Dancing: hottest romances
Strictly Come Dancing: hottest romances