Fleur East has denied that there is a “curse” on Strictly Come Dancing and said that her time on the BBC One show has been a “blessing” for her marriage.
Sax duet partner Vito Coppola’s wife Marcel Badiane-Robin wed in 2019 following a brief courtship.
The ‘Strictly curse’ refers to the widespread belief that no romantic relationships have ever developed between a celebrity competitor and a professional dancer over the show’s 18 seasons on the BBC.
Strictly Come Dancing professional Neil Jones was married to Seann Walsh’s professional partner Katya Jones when the two were seen kissing.
But Fleur has zero fear of curses, and she has spoken openly about how beneficial the programme has been to her relationship with her husband.
The 35-year-old admits, “The show has been a blessing for my marriage, it’s been amazing,” during his appearance on the Graham Norton show today.
‘We’ve been together for 12 years and how often in your marriage do you dress up and look different every week, and get to do all these sexy dances in front of your husband?
‘After the Argentine tango it was like we got married again! It was wonderful.’
Fleur also spoke about scoring a perfect 40 in Blackpool, adding: ‘It is the most iconic week of the show and to get there and score so well was incredible, especially as it has been rough being in the dance off twice and having lots of harsh criticism.’
After an energetic performance, judges Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke were left practically speechless.
Notoriously difficult to please Craig simply described it as ‘fab-u-lous’, while Shirley said it was ‘an iconic routine that will go down in history.’
Fleur has previously spoken out about the show ‘spicing up her marriage’.
‘If you want the spark to be reignited in your marriage, then do Strictly,’ she said.
‘When has he ever seen me in a new look every week, moving my hips like that? When do you ever get to do that for your partner? It’s like I’m performing for him every Saturday night,’ she added to the Mirror.
Fleur and Marcel met when they both worked in a nightclub back in 2010, but have largely kept their relationship out of the spotlight.
Around 120 guests, including Fleur’s I’m A Celeb campmates Harry Redknapp and Malique Thompson-Dwyer and former JLS star JB Gill, reportedly came together to watch the happy couple exchange vows.
The Graham Norton Show airs tonight, Friday November 25, at 10.40pm on BBC One and is available to watch on iPlayer.
Strictly Come Dancing continues tomorrow night at 7.15pm on BBC One.
