Dianne Buswell is making history as the first professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing to compete while pregnant, following her recent announcement that she’s expecting a baby.
Professional dancer Dianne Buswell, 36, and her partner, YouTuber Joe Sugg, 33, shared on Instagram last weekend that they are expecting a baby boy.
Oh my gosh, you guys, Dianne and Joe are engaged! I seriously can’t even! They met on that amazing BBC show back in 2018, and now this! It’s happening just as the new season is starting – I’m going to be glued to the TV on Saturday night to see who Dianne’s paired with this time, but honestly, all I care about right now is their happiness! I’m so thrilled for them, it’s the best news ever!
Although Dianne is the first professional dancer to perform while pregnant, she and Joe aren’t the first parents created by *Strictly Come Dancing*. Several dancers and celebrities have had children after meeting on the show.
While the “Strictly curse” has sadly ended some romances, the show has also brought many couples together and led to lasting, happy relationships.
Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton
2018 was a particularly romantic year on Strictly Come Dancing. Not only did Joe and Dianne become a couple, but TV personality Stacey Dooley also found love with Kevin Clifton during the series.
Stacey and her dance partner won the show, but they didn’t become a couple until the beginning of 2019.
When Stacey competed on the BBC show, she was dating Sam Tucknott, a personal trainer who often came to watch from the audience. They had been together for seven years.
Four months after the show finished, as Stacey and Kevin began touring together, people started speculating about a possible romance between them.
The couple made their relationship official and decided to live together, then welcomed their daughter, Minnie, in 2023.
Stacey published a touching book titled Dear Minnie in March, writing it as a letter to her daughter, who is now two years old. Meanwhile, Kevin firmly believes his daughter won’t pursue a career in dance, feeling it’s a very competitive field.
Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez
Actress Gemma and professional dancer Gorka first connected on the set of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ in 2017. Although they weren’t dance partners, they developed a romantic relationship during the show.
Two years after appearing on the show, the couple had their daughter, Mia, who is now six. Their son, Thiago, was born in 2023.
Gorka has successfully balanced his demanding job with being a father, and he and his partner have previously discussed the challenges of being apart when he’s on the show *Strictly Come Dancing*.
Gemma told New! magazine last year that she and everyone else gets really excited about Strictly every year, just like Gorka.
It just kills me how every single year, no matter what, he has to uproot his life and travel to *her*. Like, he always has to go to *wherever she is*, leaving everything behind. It’s so sweet, but also… heartbreaking! He just does it every time, completely devoted. I swear, it’s the most romantic thing ever.
Things were different before we had kids, but having children really shifts how you see things. My son, Mia, often asks why I need to leave, and I think it makes him feel bad.
This year will be different for Gorka and his family. Because he’s judging the Spanish version of ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ he won’t be paired with a celebrity contestant.
Because he’s judging on another show during the current season of Strictly, he’ll be performing as one of the ensemble dancers instead.
Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev
Rachel, known from Countdown, and professional dancer Pasha were partnered together on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013, and that’s how they met.
Rachel’s marriage to James Gilbert ended just weeks after she left the show, and the breakup was linked to the so-called ‘Strictly curse’. She and her dance partner, Pasha, later confirmed they were in a relationship.
Rachel and her partner secretly got married in Las Vegas in 2019, around the time they were expecting their first daughter.
Rachel previously told the Express that marriage wasn’t something they’d actively considered until they found out they were expecting a baby, at which point they simply decided to get married.
‘And actually, we had such a nice day. It was really lovely. But we only decided the week before.’
They expanded their family with the arrival of their daughter, Maven, in December 2019, and later welcomed another daughter, Noa, in November 2021.
Pasha left Strictly Come Dancing in 2018 and now spends a lot of his time raising his children. Rachel continues to work on the game show Countdown.
Janette Manrara and Aljaz Škorjanec
Janette and Aljaz have found great success thanks to Strictly Come Dancing. They both joined the show in 2013, three years after first meeting while rehearsing for a stage production.
The couple married in 2017 and continued to appear on Strictly Come Dancing until Janette decided to leave her role as a professional dancer in 2021. She then pursued her long-held ambition of becoming a presenter on the show’s spin-off, It Takes Two.
Two years later, the couple welcomed their first child together, daughter Lyra.
In 2022, Aljaz decided to leave Strictly Come Dancing so he could focus on being a full-time parent while his wife, Janette, continued to thrive in her career.
Janette quickly returned to work on ‘It Takes Two’ only three months after having a baby. She and Aljaz explained that Aljaz leaving the show made it easier for them to balance work and family life.
Aljaz shared with OK! Magazine that they both always wanted to be very involved parents. However, he especially wanted to be fully present, so they discussed it openly and made a decision together.
Every family and relationship is unique, and for us, becoming parents felt right. I truly enjoy being a stay-at-home mom to Lyra, and I honestly don’t feel like I’m sacrificing anything by being with her.
In 2024 though Aljaz was back, making a surprise return to the Strictly dancefloor.
Ola and James Jordan
Ola and James Jordan, professional dancers on Strictly Come Dancing, became parents to their daughter, Ella, in February 2020. They conceived her through IVF after twenty years together.
After struggling with infertility for three years, the couple, married since 2003, happily announced they were expecting their first child in September 2019.
James and Ola, who was born in Poland, met at a dance competition in Blackpool in 1999 and got married four years afterward.
James and his partner first met as dancers, and their working relationship eventually blossomed into a romance. He proposed two years after they began dating, and they got married in October 2003.
The pair shot to fame as Strictly’s power couple when they both joined in series four back in 2006.
James left the show after its eleventh season in 2013, and Ola departed following the thirteenth series in 2015.
I remember when Ella was first born, Ola was just beaming. She told everyone that while they already had a good life, becoming parents felt like something completely different – and so much better. She said nothing they’d ever achieved in their work could compare to the joy Ella brought them, and it honestly felt like everything had fallen into place.
Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff
Kristina, known for her time on Strictly Come Dancing, and Ben, a retired rugby player, began dating after Ben was a contestant on the show in 2013.
Ben’s relationship with Kristina faced some challenges, including accusations from his former wife, Abby Cohen-the mother of his twin daughters-that Kristina was responsible for their divorce. Kristina has consistently denied these claims.
Kristina and Ben’s relationship began with a whirlwind romance three years ago, and they now have a nine-year-old daughter named Milena.
Kristina, a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing since 2008, left the show in 2015, a year before having her first child.
As a lifestyle expert, I was so charmed to hear about this couple’s romantic engagement! They got engaged on a beautiful beach in the Maldives back in 2022, and they’ve been dreaming of a wedding either in the rolling hills of Tuscany or the picturesque countryside of Oxfordshire. It sounds like they’re planning something truly special!
Earlier this year, news of their unexpected separation came out, reportedly due to significant money problems.
Ben Cohen, a former rugby player, and Kristina Rihanoff, a professional dancer, invested heavily in a yoga and fitness business. The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant financial difficulties for them, which also strained their relationship.
Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova
Darren and Lilia have been a Strictly Come Dancing couple for a long time, having first appeared on the show in 2004 during its second series.
As a lifestyle expert, I’ve seen a lot of talent come through competitive ballroom dancing, but Darren and Lilia really stand out! They’re both absolute pros – Darren hails from Yorkshire, and Lilia is a phenomenal Russian dancer. Between the two of them, they’ve appeared on six seasons of the show and taken home an incredible seven trophies – making them the most decorated male and female competitors the show has *ever* seen!
Both Lilia and Darren left the show in 2009 following some changes to the dance lineup, but they’ve continued their careers by working on versions of the show in other countries. Lilia is now the head judge on the Turkish edition, and Darren judges the Lebanese version.
Recently, the couple began working as creative directors and choreographers for the Irish version of Dancing with the Stars.
The couple have been together romantically for more than 20 years, ever since they first met as dance partners in 1997.
They have two daughters: Valentina, who is ten years old, and Lucia Elizabeth, born in September 2020.
Lilia and Darren shared that getting pregnant for the second time was a difficult and lengthy process.
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2025-09-20 15:05