How Strictly’s Popular Dancers have Wound Up In Debt

For audiences tuning into BBC’s megahit Strictly Come Dancing, they would be ideal in assuming that its stars must be earning a hefty fortune.

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

However, while it has actually been presumed that Strictly experts must make a quite penny, and years of success, through their time on the show, for most it’s an entirely various story.

Pros who have actually bid goodbye to the Strictly dancefloor in the last few years have shared their struggles with piling financial obligations and money issues, with some even dealing with the possibility of losing their homes.

Recently, Ben Cohen and end up being the current stars to be hit by the notorious ‘Strictly curse’ after their 12-year love ended in heartbreak. MailOnline then revealed it was the extreme monetary problems they had recently experienced are believed to have actually been behind their split.

MailOnline peels back the shine behind Strictly stars’ paychecks to expose the reality about how for many, the cash stops as quickly as the ballroom lights go dark …

Kristina Rihanoff

How Strictly’s popular dancers have actually ended up in financial obligation – as Kristina Rihanoff’s financial problems are blamed for split from Ben Cohen (envisioned on the show in 2013)

Kristina formerly appeared on Strictly as a professional from 2008 to 2015, making headlines when she began a love with her celeb partner Ben Cohen.

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

The degree of the couple’s struggles were laid bare in uncommon situations – throughout a court appearance last September when Kristina, 47, was captured driving without insurance coverage.

Giving proof during the case, England World Cup winning rugby star Ben, 46, admitted he had made a mess of the handling of their vehicle insurance plan and told how he was ‘combating to conserve his relationship and home’.

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

‘Those near to them who know them as a couple had hoped they would have the ability to work things out but for now it’s over and it appears like there’s no going back.’

The couple were left with debilitating financial obligations after they tilled every cent they had into a yoga studio which plunged into crisis during the Covid pandemic.

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

Last year the couple shared fears that they might lose their home after being struck by money problems, with Ben laying bare their financial problems in court (pictured in 2021)

When questioned about the stress on his and Kristina’s relationship, he stated: ‘We’re still cohabiting. We’re in it economically.

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

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

The business was noted to be compulsorily struck off on December 27, 2022, however the action was suspended nine days later and discontinued on April 28, 2023.

Records also expose that a food services business called Soo Greens Ltd which is 100 percent owned by Soo Yoga Group Ltd was successfully ₤ 6,633 at a loss, considering future liabilities, in its last accounts for the period ending on July 31, 2020.

The company’s represent the year ending in July 2021 have still not been filed and are now nearly 29 months past due.

Another company called Soo Purple Mountain Ltd which is also owned by the Soo Yoga Group, was established in December 2021 and liquified by a voluntary strike off in February this year without ever submitting accounts.

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

A fifth company called Yoga Wellbeing which is one hundred percent owned by Rihanoff was ₤ 5,041 in the red, taking into consideration future liabilities, at the end of July 2020. Its accounts are also almost 29 months overdue, according to Companies House records.

AJ Pritchard

AJ initially rose to fame as a participant 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 because shed light on the cash concerns some Strictly stars can face, and shared that he was plunged into financial obligation when his dance trip was cancelled in 2020

AJ initially rose to popularity as an entrant on Strictly Come Dancing from 2016 to 2019, leaving the show just months before the Covid pandemic.

While the star had actually formerly hoped to start a brand-new age of dance success by leaving the program, the pandemic forced him to cancel his scheduled dance trip, plunging himself and brother Curtis into financial obligation.

Speaking with MailOnline, AJ clarified the money 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 right thing to do. We ended up with a VAT expense which came out of our own pocket.

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

‘They certainly did value it. I possibly didn’t value the financial obligation that I was left in but, hey, it’s a choice that was made.’

AJ stated it is hard when a lot of his friends believe he’s a ‘millionaire’ after starring on Strictly, nevertheless, he explained that after they paid their taxes and VAT, the figure he earns is no place near that.

The dancer said: ‘I believe a lot of people anticipate 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 limited company, that’s not even close.

‘I believe transparency is a favorable thing in this day and age, however the majority of people do not truly wish to discuss their financial resources.

‘And I believe individuals are interested by money. People enjoy to see numbers and like to see great things, and a great deal of times you need to live within your own means.’

After leaving shows such as Strictly and Love Island, Curtis and AJ were tossed into a variety of huge money offers and AJ states some individuals have no concept how to manage that kind of amount of money.

Former I’m A Celeb star AJ revealed he and Curtis ‘want to make a difference’ and have actually established ‘utilizing our own money’ a financial investment firm called FINT to assist to ‘inform’ people.

AJ became really open about how often the TV reservations and photoshoots can all of a sudden stop and stars have to learn how to ‘adjust’ their career.

AJ stated it is hard when a great deal 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 truly hard I think in our industry, the entertainment industry and a great deal of other industries right now because a lot of people are being laid off. It does play on your mental health if you do not have that next task.

‘Myself and Curtis have actually invested cash, from my extremely first pay check on Strictly I’ve constantly had that money invested into different portfolios. Therefore, if I didn’t work in 6 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 always tasks out there. It’s just often having to change what it is you believe you are going to do and adapt a little bit. Adapting is hard however you do need to adjust in some cases.

‘It’s important that individuals go into these big shows that they’re taking pleasure in however 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 expense of living crisis and AJ confessed he is no various and is routinely snapped back into the ‘genuine world’ as he’s noticed the significant boost in everyday products.

He discussed: ‘Every day I’m brought back to truth. I pulled up at the gas pump today and the diesel was 10p more costly due to choices that have been made much greater up than my paycheck. That’s the real life.

‘I resembled, ‘What 10p more costly from the other day to today’, like that’s insane. I believe individuals forget, the cost of living and inflation’s increased.

‘Even when inflation comes down, it doesn’t mean that it goes back to what it was. Life is going to be hard for a lot of individuals this year and I do not think it’s going to get any much easier.’

Robin Windsor

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

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

The dancer was found dead in a London hotel in February in 2015, and in the wake of his passing it was exposed 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 nearly ₤ 5,000 the last time it submitted accounts, however owed lenders ₤ 15,000, implying it was ₤ 8,350 in the red.

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

The company had transported revenues from a ‘wide range of agreements to offer performing arts services within the media industry’, paperwork stated.

In the months prior to his death, Robin had been working on a Fred Olsen Cruise – alongside fellow Strictly expert Gordana Grandosek Whiddon – and posted images of himself when the boat docked in South Africa.

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

The dancer was discovered 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 (imagined on the show in 2013)

He likewise remembered one time he earned ‘ridiculous money’, informing This Is Money: ‘My dance partner and I were as soon as paid ₤ 10,000 each to stay in a high-end resort in Mauritius for a week and dance the cha-cha-cha at an occasion. Our dance lasted two minutes.’

He remembered in September 2022 that the ‘best’ year of his monetary life was 2010, ‘my first year on Strictly Come Dancing’.

He stated: ‘Suddenly, I was making money I had just dreamt about. I most likely made about ₤ 100,000 that year – not simply from Strictly however from work off the back of the show such as the tour and personal efficiencies.

‘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 allowed to return that he could not bear to view it, and he went into a ‘consistent decrease’ after leaving the show.

Graziano Di Prima

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

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

Graziano was as soon as considered a favourite among Strictly fans, however last year he was dramatically sacked by bosses following claims of gross misconduct towards his former superstar partner Zara McDermott.

The dancer later confirmed and regretted his actions against Zara.

Addressing his exit from the show, a ‘devastated’ Di Prima wrote on Instagram: ‘I deeply are sorry for the occasions that resulted in my departure from Strictly.

Strictly Come Dancing abundant list: The professional dancers waltzing all the way to the bank after earning MILLIONS thanks to the program

‘My extreme enthusiasm and decision to win might have impacted my training program.

‘While respecting the BBC HR procedure, I acknowledge it’s just ideal for the sake of the show that I step away. I am saddened that I wasn’t enabled to use a quote to the online news stories, and I take on board the sensitivity of the circumstance.

‘There’s more to this story that I am not able to discuss at this time, however I am committed to being strong for my household and friends. I wish the Strictly family absolutely nothing but success in the future.’

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

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

And the stars who have cashed in on their Strictly success …

Oti Mabuse

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

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

For numerous fans, Oti is thought about one of Strictly’s most successful exports, with the dancer crowned series champion for two years in a row, in 2019 and 2020.

The dancer was reported to be on a ₤ 410,000 income before she left the show in 2022, and given that her exit has generated a big fortune with a string of effective TV gigs.

Since then, she has appeared as a judge on Dancing On Ice, and was likewise a panellist on The Masked Dancer, and BBC’s The Greatest Dancer, contributing to a rumoured fortune of more than ₤ 1.4 million.

Before signing up with 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 established with her husband Marius Iepure, which was set up in February 2017, and has noted possessions of ₤ 510,953, according to its newest accounts.

In 2022, Oti also signed a big-money offer to work together with Bravissimo on a ‘confidence enhancing’ underclothing variety, and she and partner Marius also share a ₤ 590,000 London mansion.

Between them, Oti and Marius hold ₤ 750,000 of properties in 4 private companies, which they co-own. including the property company, Lionshead, which notched up ₤ 110,582 in assets since last year.

And Oti has just included to her fortune in current months by appearing on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! where she was reportedly paid a ₤ 200,000 charge.

Kevin Clifton

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

However, the dancer has previously shared that it hasn’t constantly been easy, exposing in 2019 that he used to sleep in his cars and truck while attempting to kickstart his carrying out profession

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 company Supreme Dance stated ₤ 104,993 in its newest assets with ₤ 42,234 remaining after bills.

However, the dancer has actually formerly shared that it hasn’t always been easy, exposing in 2019 that he utilized to sleep in his car while attempting to start his carrying out profession, while juggling it with an office job.

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

‘I invested loads of time oversleeping my vehicle – generally living out of my vehicle – and having no work. It’s not all glamour. People believe we live these simple, showbiz, attractive lives and it’s not like that.

‘There’s been times where I was just getting fired from job after job – typical office jobs, simply trying to sustain my dancer profession.

‘I was essentially looking in my wallet going, I have actually just been fired from another job. I have actually got 4 lessons tomorrow; I already can’t pay for 2 of them.

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

Business: James and Ola Jordan have actually capitalized their joint weight loss recently, setting up a physical fitness website called Dance Shred where they charge ₤ 12.99 monthly to subscribe

James Jordan left Strictly in 2013 with his better half Ola doing the same two years lateer.

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

The couple have cashed in on their joint weight loss in the last few years, establishing a physical fitness site called Dance Shred where they charge ₤ 12.99 monthly to subscribe.

The set sold their Kent mansion for ₤ 2.5 million previously this year and have actually considering that scaled down to a home more ‘suitable’ for their daughter Ella.

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

They earn extra cash by offering signed pictures for ₤ 9.50 while Ola offers dance lessons to fans at ₤ 300 a pop.

Strictly Come DancingBen CohenBBC