Ah, the Strictly curse. That legendary showbiz hex that sends fear into the hearts of the most solid couples. We’ve all heard of it, and we all know better than to completely dismiss it – given the high rate of relationships that have crashed and burned after one of them took part on the BBC dance series. And according to insiders, Abbey Clancy is the latest celebrity to fear its black magic.
Last week, it was reported that Strictly’s producers are desperate to sign Abbey’s husband Peter Crouch to the ballroom, especially after seeing his star power rise further this summer with him fronting BBC’s Crouchy’s Year Late Euros. But while Abbey, 35, is happier than ever in her marriage and knows she has absolutely no reason to worry, she also knows that Peter’s participation in the show will invite public intrusion into their marriage, and could send gossip soaring. So, she wants them to renew their wedding vows before the show kicks off in September, to reinforce the fact that they’re above any talk of curses.
“Abbey’s not worried about Pete going on Strictly or being paired with a glam female dancer because she’s not insecure,” says an insider close to the model – who actually won the show back in 2013, with her pro partner Aljaž Škorjanec.
“But she knows that whoever goes on will be hit with curse rumours, and she just doesn’t want to invite that kind of drama and noise into their relationship. She’s not going to put her foot down or stop him doing it, but she does want them to make a big declaration of love first by getting their vows renewed. Obviously, it’s not just about the show – it’s about celebrating their love for one another and acknowledging the hard times they’ve been through in the past, but this is definitely a catalyst.”
CHECK OUT Strictly Come Dancing affairs that gave us the shock of our lives
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1 of 15Check out all the relationships hit by the Strictly Come Dancing curse...
2 of 151. Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole
Strictly's Camilla Dallerup revealed she suffered a 'mini death' when her fiancé Brendan Cole reportedly left her in 2004 for his Strictly dance partner Natasha Kaplinsky. Natasha and Brendan never confirmed they were romantically involved. Natasha said: "There was chemistry, of course, and I certainly fell in love with dancing, but I did not fall in love with Brendan."The pair have since married other people, whilst Camilla married former Hollyoaks star Kevin Sacre in 2010.
3 of 152. Joe Calzaghe and Kristina Rihanoff
Just one week into his stint on Strictly in 2009 and Joe Calzaghe split with his girlfriend of five years, Jo-Emma Larvin. It wasn't long before the boxer and his professional dance partner Kristina Rihanoff embarked on a romance. Unfortunately it wasn't to last and they split four years later.
4 of 153. Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff
Following his 2013 stint on the show, rugby star Ben Cohen revealed he'd split from wife of 11-years Abby. He was then forced to deny he was romantically involved with former partner Kristina Rhianoff, after the pair were spotted linking arms on a London tube train.Ben and Kristina have since started a relationship and the pair welcomed their first child together in 2016.
5 of 154. Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace
Things must have been awkward backstage at Strictly in 2007 when Flavia Cacace reportedly dumped her long-term dance partner and boyfriend of eight-years, Vincent Simone, for Eastenders actor Matt Di Angelo.At the time the actor told the Daily Mail: "The funny thing was the story did not start off as true, but the more you read it, the more you started to believe it and actually act on it."However, Flavia split from Matt in 2010 and went on to wed actor Jimi Mistry (who she met whilst partnered together on Strictly in 2010) in December 2013.
6 of 155. Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna
Former Hollyoaks actress Ali Bastian and her dance partner, Brian Fortuna, got together in 2009 after starring together on the show - but split a year later.
7 of 156. Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev
Rachel Riley surprised everyone when she revealed she was splitting from husband of just 15-months Jamie Gilbert during her time on Strictly in 2013. Less than a year later, the Countdown star announced she was dating her Strictly partner Pasha Kovalev - but insisted there was no overlap between the two romances.
8 of 157. Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev
Kara Tointon not only bagged the Strictly glitter ball in 2010 but also a hunky new boyfriend when she embarked on a romance with her Strictly partner Artem Chigvintsev.However, after three years of being together the pair split, and the former EastEnders actress told The Telegraph: "We are not together. We're fine, but we aren't a couple anymore."
9 of 158. Georgia May Foote and Sean Ward
When Georgia entered the competition in 2015 she was dating her Coronation Street co-star, Sean Ward. At the time she reassured everyone that she was in a happy relationship and she was just good friends with her dance partner Giovanni.However, shortly after the competition finished she ended her relationship with Sean and started a relationship with Giovanni.Unfortunately Georgia and Giovanni split before series 14 started. The former Coronation Street actress announced the news on Twitter, writing: "It is with great sadness we have decided to split up. There is nobody else involved."Although it was not an easy decision to make sometimes you realise that it is better to be friends and this is one of those times."We both have very busy work schedules for the rest of the year so we are both going to focus on our upcoming work projects and we wish each other well for the future."
10 of 159. Helen George and Oliver Boot
Helen George appeared on Strictly in 2015 and split from her husband Oliver Boot of three years. Were they hit by the Strictly curse?
11 of 1510. Susanna Reid Dominic Cotton
Susanna Reid featured on Strictly during series 11. After the show finished, Susanna and her partner Dominic Cotton split.The TV presenter denied the end of their relationship being related to the Strictly curse, she told the Daily Mirror: "I think people think Strictly was bound in what happened. It wasn't."Obviously things have been challenging in my personal life but we are getting things sorted."
12 of 1511. Louise and Jamie Redknapp
The whole world was shocked in 2017 when Louise and Jamie Redknapp confirmed they were divorcing after 19 years of marriage.The news came just months after she competed in Strictly Come Dancing 2016 alongside her professional dance partner Kevin Clifton.
13 of 1512. Karen and Kevin Clifton
After months of speculation Strictly Come Dancing professionals Karen and Kevin Clifton confirmed they'd split.Despite breaking up they've insisted they'll remain friends. During Chris Evans' breakfast show, Kevin explained: "Privately we are not together anymore but professionally we are stronger than ever before. Dance is how we came together and is what glues us together."We're still the best of friends – we still have a lot of love and respect for each other. What we've found is that since we've been honest with each other it's unlocked our creativity."Karen added: "We have such strong chemistry and it's about entertaining and inspiring. At the end of the day it's about giving back to fans. We're feeling very positive."
14 of 1513. Katya Jones and Seann Walsh
Everyone was shocked when photos of Seann Walsh and his professional dance partner Katya Jones were pictured together KISSING on the streets of London.While Katya is married to fellow Strictly professional Neil Jones, Sean is dating actress Rebecca Humphries.Since the news of the affair came to light, they've both apologised and blamed it as a "drunken mistake".
15 of 1514. Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton
Stacey Dooley caused controversy when she went public with her romance with her dance partner Kevin Clifton. In March, Stacey and her ex-boyfriend Sam Tucknott split, with reports suggesting Sam was paranoid about Stacey's relationship with Kevin, after finding secret messages between the two on Stacey's phone. AWKWARD.
As heat recently told you, the couple – who have been married for ten years and share four children, Sophia, ten, Liberty Rose, six, Johnny, three, and Jack, two – are finally in a good place, having weathered a difficult few years.
They’ve both been open about their struggles, with Abbey saying earlier this year, “We hated each other… so I don’t even know how I got pregnant to be quite honest,” while Pete, 40, added that having four kids was “tough”. But they’ve finally got back to a good place, and Abbey wants to solidify that bond even further and banish all rumours of a split before they even start.
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Pete, meanwhile, isn’t quite so convinced, but we’re told he’s following her lead and doing what he can to make her feel more comfortable – which means we could be hearing (renewal) bells very soon.
“Pete thinks it’s just a lot of fuss and fanfare, but he understands where Abbey’s coming from, especially if he does Strictly,” says our source. “She doesn’t want the whole narrative to be her worrying about her husband dancing with another woman, particularly because she’s not fussed. Pete wants Abbey to be happy.”
Read more celeb goss in the latest issue of heat magazine – OUT NOW.