How Strictly’s Popular Dancers have Ended up In Debt

For viewers tuning into BBC’s megahit Strictly Come Dancing, they would be best in presuming that its stars must be making a large fortune.

Whether it be the steadfast hours of training, or being an on-screen component for weeks on end, the show’s expert dancers have actually helped make the series a captivating watch throughout the fall months.

However, while it has been assumed that Strictly professionals must earn a pretty cent, and years of success, through their time on the program, for most it’s an entirely different story.

Pros who have bid farewell to the Strictly dancefloor in the last few years have actually shared their battles with stacking debts and money concerns, with some even facing the possibility of losing their homes.

Recently, Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff become the newest stars to be struck by the notorious ‘Strictly curse’ after their 12-year love ended in heartbreak. MailOnline then revealed it was the serious financial difficulties they had actually just recently experienced are believed to have actually been behind their split.

MailOnline peels back the glitter behind Strictly stars’ incomes to reveal the truth about how for numerous, the cash stops as quickly as the ballroom lights go dark …

Kristina Rihanoff

How Strictly’s popular dancers have wound up in financial obligation – as Kristina Rihanoff’s monetary difficulties are blamed for split from Ben Cohen (visualized on the show in 2013)

Kristina previously appeared on Strictly as an expert from 2008 to 2015, making headlines when she began a love with her celebrity partner Ben Cohen.

However, in 2015, the couple shared fears that they could lose their home after being hit by money woes, with Ben laying bare their monetary troubles in court.

The level of the couple’s battles were laid bare in uncommon scenarios – during a court look last September when Kristina, 47, was caught driving without insurance coverage.

Giving evidence during the case, England World rugby star Ben, 46, admitted he had actually bungled the handling of their cars and truck insurance policy and told how he was ‘fighting to conserve his relationship and home’.

A friend of the couple informed the Mail he stated: ‘The previous six months have been hell for them and it has torn the love they had apart. For the sake of their family, they have chosen to go forward as separate individuals.

‘Those near them who understand them as a couple had actually hoped they would be able to work things out however for now it’s over and it looks like there’s no going back.’

The couple were left with debilitating financial obligations after they ploughed every penny they had into a yoga studio which plunged into crisis throughout the Covid pandemic.

In a tortuously frank admission Ben told the court: ‘I get up every day and I fight not to lose whatever – to lose my vehicles and my house and my relationship. I’m so overdrawn.’

Last year the couple shared worries that they might lose their home after being hit by money problems, with Ben laying bare their monetary issues in court (envisioned in 2021)

When questioned about the strains on his and Kristina’s relationship, he said: ‘We’re still living together. We’re in it economically.

‘We’re in business together so the problem is that we opened the organization before Covid and we got the worst seriousness of it and in all truthfully this is simply another problem for me to deal with.

‘I have actually got charge card that are overdrawn. I’m overdrawn in both accounts. We have got a company debt due to the fact that of Covid. It’s simply another issue.’

The company was listed to be compulsorily struck off on December 27, 2022, but the action was suspended 9 days later on and ceased on April 28, 2023.

Records likewise reveal that a food services business called Soo Greens Ltd which is 100 percent owned by Soo Yoga Group Ltd was effectively ₤ 6,633 at a loss, taking into consideration future liabilities, in its last represent the duration ending on July 31, 2020.

The business’s accounts for the year ending in July 2021 have still not been submitted and are now nearly 29 months past due.

Another business called Soo Purple Mountain Ltd which is likewise owned by the Soo Yoga Group, was set up in December 2021 and liquified by a voluntary strike off in February this year without ever filing accounts.

A 4th business called Soo Group Ltd which was half owned by Cohen and half owned by three other individuals was also integrated and willingly struck off on the same dates.

A fifth business called Yoga Wellbeing which is 100 percent owned by Rihanoff was ₤ 5,041 at a loss, taking into consideration future liabilities, at the end of July 2020. Its accounts are also almost 29 months past due, according to Companies House records.

AJ Pritchard

AJ initially rose to popularity as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing from 2016 to 2019, leaving the program simply months before the Covid pandemic (imagined with Saffron Barker in 2019)

But AJ has considering that clarify the cash issues some Strictly stars can face, and shared that he was plunged into debt when his dance tour was cancelled in 2020

AJ initially rose to popularity as a candidate on Strictly Come Dancing from 2016 to 2019, leaving the program just months before the Covid pandemic.

While the star had actually previously wished to kickstart a brand-new age of dance success by departing the program, the pandemic required him to cancel his planned dance tour, plunging himself and bro Curtis into debt.

Speaking to MailOnline, AJ shed light on the cash concerns some Strictly stars can deal with after leaving the program.

He stated: ‘We had a business where we were running our own trip and the trip was cut brief. We paid all of our dancers because, personally, I felt like that was the best thing to do. We wound up with a barrel costs which came out of our own pocket.

‘We didn’t make money, myself or Curtis, however we paid all of our dancers. It’s a tough decision to be made, however that’s what it is when you are running your own company.

‘They certainly did appreciate it. I maybe didn’t appreciate the financial obligation that I was left in however, hi, it’s a choice that was made.’

AJ stated it is hard when a great deal of his pals believe he’s a ‘millionaire’ after starring on Strictly, however, he discussed that after they paid their taxes and VAT, the figure he makes is no place near that.

The dancer said: ‘I think a great deal of individuals expect you to go on to Strictly or Love Island and instantly be a millionaire. Once you have actually paid your tax and your VAT, and if you’re a minimal business, that’s not even close.

‘I think openness is a favorable thing in this day and age, but many people don’t actually want to speak about their financial resources.

‘And I believe people are fascinated by money. People like to see numbers and enjoy to see great things, and a lot of times you need to live within your own ways.’

After leaving programs such as Strictly and Love Island, Curtis and AJ were tossed into a variety of big money offers and AJ states some individuals have no idea how to manage that sort of sum of money.

Former I’m A Celeb star AJ revealed he and Curtis ‘wish to make a distinction’ and have set up ‘using our own cash’ a monetary investment business called FINT to help to ‘educate’ people.

AJ became very open about how in some cases the TV reservations and photoshoots can all of a sudden stop and stars have to discover how to ‘adjust’ their profession.

AJ stated it is hard when a lot of his buddies believe he’s a ‘millionaire’ after starring on Strictly, as after they paid their taxes and VAT, the figure he makes is nowhere near that

He continued: ‘It’s actually tough I think in our industry, the home entertainment industry and a great deal of other markets today because a great deal of people are being laid off. It does use your mental health if you do not have that next task.

‘Myself and Curtis have invested money, from my really first wage on Strictly I’ve always had that cash invested into different portfolios. Therefore, if I didn’t have a job in six months time, I do have cash there that I can draw on if I require it.

‘And at the end of the day, there are constantly jobs out there. It’s just sometimes needing to change what it is you think you are going to do and adjust a bit. Adapting is tough however you do have to adapt often.

‘It is necessary that people enter into these huge shows that they’re enjoying but they have a profession behind them like myself and Curt. We’re both expert dancers, we can go all over the world and teach.’

Every day, people are facing the cost of living crisis and AJ admitted he is no various and is regularly snapped back into the ‘genuine world’ as he’s noticed the significant boost in daily items.

He explained: ‘Every single day I’m brought back to reality. I brought up at the fuel pump today and the diesel was 10p more pricey due to choices that have been made much higher up than my income. That’s the real life.

‘I was like, ‘What 10p more pricey from the other day to today’, like that’s crazy. I believe individuals forget, the expense of living and inflation’s increased.

‘Even when inflation boils down, it does not indicate that it goes back to what it was. Life is going to be hard for a lot of people this year and I do not believe it’s going to get any easier.’

Robin Windsor

Despite pulling in an impressive ₤ 100,000 as a star of Strictly, Robin Windsor tragically passed away with simply ₤ 879 in his business’s company account

Despite drawing in an excellent ₤ 100,000 as a star of Strictly, Robin Windsor unfortunately died with just ₤ 879 in his business’s company account.

The dancer was found dead in a London hotel in February in 2015, and in the wake of his passing it was revealed his firm had not traded for a long time and according to Companies House Records was facing an ‘active proposition’ to be struck off.

The company Happy Feet Creative Limited was owed almost ₤ 5,000 the last time it submitted accounts, but owed creditors ₤ 15,000, meaning it was ₤ 8,350 in the red.

At the height of his celebrity in 2015 and 2016 he held more than ₤ 23,000 in the business and advanced himself ₤ 35,000 from the business, which was repaid.

The business had channelled profits from a ‘variety of agreements to supply carrying out arts services within the media industry’, documents stated.

In the months prior to his death, Robin had actually been dealing with a Fred Olsen Cruise – together with fellow Strictly professional Gordana Grandosek Whiddon – and posted photos of himself when the boat docked in South Africa.

Robin formerly told how he was paid ₤ 100,000 a year during his time on Strictly which concerned an end after the 12th series in 2014.

The dancer was found dead in a London hotel in February, and in the wake of his passing it was revealed his firm had actually not traded for a long time (visualized on the show in 2013)

He also recalled one time he made ‘silly money’, informing This Is Money: ‘My dance partner and I were as soon as paid ₤ 10,000 each to remain in a luxury resort in Mauritius for a week and dance the cha-cha-cha at an occasion. Our dance lasted two minutes.’

He kept in mind in September 2022 that the ‘finest’ year of his financial life was 2010, ‘my first year on Strictly Come Dancing’.

He said: ‘Suddenly, I was generating income I had just dreamt about. I probably made about ₤ 100,000 that year – not simply from Strictly however from work off the back of the program such as the tour and personal performances.

‘When you’re on prime-time TV, everybody wants a little piece of you.’

Discussing his Strictly exit, Robin stated he became so ‘bitter’ about not being permitted to return that he could not bear to see it, and he went into a ‘consistent decrease’ after leaving the program.

Graziano Di Prima

Graziano was significantly sacked by employers in 2015 following claims of gross misconduct towards his former superstar partner Zara McDermott

Following his departure from the show, Graziano tried to cash on his appearances on the program, with personalised video messages on Cameo

Graziano was as soon as considered a favourite amongst Strictly fans, however last year he was significantly sacked by employers following claims of gross misbehavior towards his previous celebrity partner Zara McDermott.

The dancer later confirmed and regretted his actions versus Zara.

Addressing his exit from the program, a ‘ravaged’ Di Prima composed on Instagram: ‘I deeply regret the occasions that caused my departure from Strictly.

Strictly Come Dancing rich list: The expert dancers waltzing all the method to the bank after making MILLIONS thanks to the program

‘My intense passion and determination to win might have impacted my training routine.

‘While appreciating the BBC HR procedure, I acknowledge it’s just best for the sake of the show that I step away. I am saddened that I wasn’t permitted to use a quote to the online newspaper article, and I take on board the level of sensitivity of the situation.

‘There’s more to this story that I am unable to talk about at this time, however I am devoted to being strong for my household and pals. I wish the Strictly household nothing however success in the future.’

Following his departure from the program, Graziano tried to cash on his appearances on the show, with personalised video messages on Cameo.

The dancer charged $100 (₤ 78) for a video message, and continued to describe himself as a ‘professional dancer on Strictly’ on his profile.

And the stars who have capitalized their Strictly success …

Oti Mabuse

For numerous fans, Oti is thought about among Strictly’s most effective exports, with the dancer crowned series champion for 2 years in a row, in 2019 and 2020

Ever since, she has looked like a judge on Dancing On Ice, and likewise earned a reported ₤ 200,000 cost for her stint on I’m A Star Get Me Out Of Here! last year

For many fans, Oti is thought about among Strictly’s most successful exports, with the dancer crowned series champ for 2 years in a row, in 2019 and 2020.

The dancer was reported to be on a ₤ 410,000 wage before she left the show in 2022, and since her exit has generated a huge fortune with a string of successful TV gigs.

Ever since, she has appeared as a judge on Dancing On Ice, and was also a panellist on The Masked Dancer, and BBC’s The best Dancer, contributing to a rumoured fortune of more than ₤ 1.4 million.

Before joining the Strictly lineup, Oti likewise worked as an expert dancer on Strictly’s German equivalent, Let’s Dance.

Oti is noted as a director of Pure Mabuse Limited, which she set up with her husband Marius Iepure, which was set up in February 2017, and has actually listed possessions of ₤ 510,953, according to its most recent accounts.

In 2022, Oti likewise signed a big-money offer to work together with Bravissimo on a ‘self-confidence improving’ underwear variety, and she and husband Marius also share a ₤ 590,000 London mansion.

Between them, Oti and Marius hold ₤ 750,000 of properties in 4 personal business, which they co-own. including the property firm, Lionshead, which notched up ₤ 110,582 in possessions since last year.

And Oti has just added to her fortune in recent months by appearing on I’m A Celeb Get Me Out Of Here! where she was supposedly paid a ₤ 200,000 fee.

Kevin Clifton

Kevin Clifton was crowned Strictly champ in 2018 with Stacey Dooley, and after leaving the show in 2020, has actually moneyed in with a string of stage functions

However, the dancer has actually previously shared that it hasn’t constantly been simple, exposing in 2019 that he used to oversleep his automobile while trying to start his performing career

Since leaving Strictly in 2020, Kevin Clifton has required to the stage, performing in Strictly Ballroom, Rock of Ages and War of the Worlds.

His firm Supreme Dance declared ₤ 104,993 in its newest possessions with ₤ 42,234 remaining after bills.

However, the dancer has previously shared that it hasn’t always been simple, exposing in 2019 that he utilized to sleep in his cars and truck while trying to kickstart his carrying out career, while managing it with an office task.

Speaking on his podcast The Kevin Clifton Show, he said: ‘If there’s nobody there, I’ll oversleep my car and after that I can afford 2 of my dance lessons tomorrow.

‘I spent loads of time sleeping in my automobile – essentially living out of my automobile – and having no work. It’s not all glamour. People believe we live these easy, showbiz, attractive lives and it’s not like that.

‘There’s been times where I was simply getting fired from task after job – regular workplace tasks, just attempting to sustain my dancer career.

‘I was basically searching in my wallet going, I’ve just been fired from another task. I’ve got four lessons tomorrow; I currently can’t spend for two of them.

‘I’m going to need to blag it with the instructor and state, » Oh, there’s been a problem at the bank. I’m going to have to provide you the cash on my next lesson. » James and Ola Jordan

Business: James and Ola Jordan have cashed in on their joint weight-loss recently, establishing a physical fitness site called Dance Shred where they charge ₤ 12.99 monthly to subscribe

James Jordan left Strictly in 2013 with his partner Ola following match 2 years lateer.

James has appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, returned a few years later on for the All Stars variation and won Dancing On Ice in 2019.

The couple have actually capitalized their joint weight-loss in current years, establishing a physical fitness site called Dance Shred where they charge ₤ 12.99 monthly to subscribe.

The set offered their Kent mansion for ₤ 2.5 million previously this year and have since downsized to a home more ‘ideal’ for their daughter Ella.

Much of their earnings is funnelled through their firm James and Ola Dance Academy which most recently had ₤ 774,023 in properties and ₤ 465,002 after bills.

They earn money by offering signed images for ₤ 9.50 while Ola uses dance lessons to fans at ₤ 300 a pop.

Strictly Come DancingBen CohenBBC