How Strictly’s Popular Dancers have Ended up In Debt

For audiences tuning into BBC’s megahit Strictly Come Dancing, they would be right in presuming that its stars need to be making a large fortune.

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

However, while it has been presumed that Strictly professionals must make a pretty penny, and years of success, through their time on the show, for many it’s a wholly various story.

Pros who have bid farewell to the Strictly dancefloor in current years have actually shared their battles with piling financial obligations and cash troubles, with some even dealing with the prospect of losing their homes.

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

MailOnline peels back the glitter behind Strictly stars’ incomes to reveal the truth about how for lots of, the cash stops as soon 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 difficulties are blamed for split from Ben Cohen (envisioned on the program in 2013)

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

However, in 2015, the couple shared worries that they could lose their home after being struck by cash woes, with Ben laying bare their financial woes in court.

The level of the couple’s struggles were laid bare in unusual situations – during a court appearance last September when Kristina, 47, was caught driving without insurance coverage.

Giving evidence throughout the case, England World Cup winning rugby star Ben, 46, admitted he had mishandled the handling of their car insurance plan and told how he was ‘battling to conserve his relationship and home’.

A good friend of the couple told the Mail he stated: ‘The past 6 months have actually been hell for them and it has torn the love they had apart. For the sake of their household, they have selected to go forward as separate individuals.

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

The couple were entrusted debilitating financial obligations after they ploughed every cent they had into a yoga studio which plunged into crisis during 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.’

In 2015 the couple shared worries that they could lose their home after being struck by cash problems, with Ben laying bare their monetary problems in court (visualized in 2021)

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

‘We stay in business together so the problem is that we opened business before Covid and we got the worst intensities of it and in all honestly this is simply another problem for me to deal with.

‘I’ve got charge card that are overdrawn. I’m overdrawn in both accounts. We have actually got an organization debt because of Covid. It’s just another issue.’

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

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

The company’s represent the year ending in July 2021 have actually still not been submitted and are now nearly 29 months overdue.

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

A fourth company called Soo Group Ltd which was half owned by Cohen and half owned by 3 other people was likewise included and willingly struck off on the very same dates.

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

AJ Pritchard

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

But AJ has because shed light on the cash woes some Strictly stars can face, and shared that he was plunged into financial obligation when his dance tour was cancelled in 2020

AJ initially rose to fame 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 formerly hoped to start a brand-new age of dance success by departing the show, the pandemic forced him to cancel his planned dance trip, plunging himself and bro Curtis into financial obligation.

Talking to MailOnline, AJ clarified the cash woes some Strictly stars can face after leaving the program.

He stated: ‘We had a business where we were running our own tour and the trip was cut short. We paid all of our dancers because, personally, I seemed like that was the right thing to do. We ended up with a VAT costs which came out of our own pocket.

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

‘They absolutely did value it. I maybe didn’t appreciate the debt that I was left in but, hi, it’s a choice that was made.’

AJ said it is hard when a great deal of his friends think he’s a ‘millionaire’ after starring on Strictly, nevertheless, he explained that after they paid their taxes and VAT, the figure he makes is no place near that.

The dancer said: ‘I think a lot of people expect you to go on to Strictly or Love Island and immediately be a millionaire. Once you’ve paid your tax and your VAT, and if you’re a restricted company, that’s not even close.

‘I believe openness is a positive thing in this day and age, however many people don’t really wish to talk about their finances.

‘And I think individuals are fascinated by cash. People like to see numbers and like to see nice 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 number of big cash deals and AJ says some individuals have no idea how to handle that kind of amount of cash.

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

AJ ended up being extremely open about how sometimes the TV bookings and photoshoots can suddenly stop and stars have to learn how to ‘adjust’ their career.

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

He continued: ‘It’s truly hard I believe in our industry, the entertainment market and a great deal of other industries right now since a lot of people are being laid off. It does play on your psychological health if you do not have that next task.

‘Myself and Curtis have actually invested cash, from my really first pay check on Strictly I’ve constantly had that cash invested into various portfolios. Therefore, if I didn’t work in six months time, I do have money there that I can draw on if I require it.

‘And at the end of the day, there are constantly tasks out there. It’s simply in some cases needing to change what it is you think you are going to do and adapt a little bit. Adapting is tough however you do need to adapt sometimes.

‘It is very important that individuals enter into these big shows that they’re enjoying however they have an occupation behind them like myself and Curt. We’re both expert dancers, we can go all over the world and teach.’

Every day, individuals are dealing with the cost of living crisis and AJ confessed he is no various and is frequently snapped back into the ‘real world’ as he’s seen the significant boost in daily products.

He described: ‘Each and every single day I’m reminded reality. I pulled up at the gas pump today and the diesel was 10p more expensive due to decisions that have been made much greater up than my income. That’s the real world.

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

‘Even when down, it does not indicate that it returns to what it was. Life is going to be hard for a great deal of people this year and I do not think it’s going to get any easier.’

Robin Windsor

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

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

The dancer was discovered dead in a London hotel in February last year, and in the wake of his passing it was exposed his company 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, but owed creditors ₤ 15,000, meaning 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 company and advanced himself ₤ 35,000 from the business, which was repaid.

The company had funnelled incomes from a ‘broad range of agreements to offer performing arts services within the media industry’, documents said.

In the months prior to his death, Robin had been working on a Fred Olsen Cruise – along with fellow Strictly expert Gordana Grandosek Whiddon – and published images 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 pertained to 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 exposed his company had not traded for some time (pictured on the program in 2013)

He likewise remembered one time he earned ‘silly cash’, telling This Is Money: ‘My dance partner and I were as soon as paid ₤ 10,000 each to remain in a high-end resort in Mauritius for a week and dance the cha-cha-cha at an event. Our dance lasted 2 minutes.’

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

He said: ‘All of an abrupt, I was making money I had actually only 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 trip and personal performances.

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

Speaking about his Strictly exit, Robin stated he became so ‘bitter’ about not being permitted to return that he could not bear to enjoy it, and he entered into a ‘steady decline’ after leaving the program.

Graziano Di Prima

Graziano was drastically sacked by bosses in 2015 following claims of gross misconduct towards his previous celebrity partner Zara McDermott

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

Graziano was when considered a favourite among Strictly fans, however last year he was drastically sacked by employers following claims of gross misconduct towards his previous superstar partner Zara McDermott.

The dancer later confirmed and regretted his actions versus Zara.

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

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

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

‘While appreciating the BBC HR process, I acknowledge it’s only right for the sake of the program that I step away. I am distressed that I wasn’t enabled 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 not able to talk about at this time, but I am committed to being strong for my family and good friends. I wish the Strictly family absolutely nothing but success in the future.’

Following his departure from the show, 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 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 champion for 2 years in a row, in 2019 and 2020

Since then, she has appeared as a judge on Dancing On Ice, and also made a reported ₤ 200,000 fee for her stint on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! in 2015

For numerous fans, Oti is considered one of 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 program in 2022, and because her exit has collected a big fortune with a string of effective TV gigs.

Ever since, she has actually looked like 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 a professional dancer on Strictly’s German equivalent, Let’s Dance.

Oti is listed as a director of Pure Mabuse Limited, which she set up with her other half Marius Iepure, which was established in February 2017, and has actually noted properties of ₤ 510,953, according to its latest accounts.

In 2022, Oti likewise signed a big-money deal to collaborate with Bravissimo on a ‘self-confidence boosting’ underclothing variety, and she and husband Marius likewise share a ₤ 590,000 London estate.

Between them, Oti and Marius hold ₤ 750,000 of properties in four private companies, which they co-own. including the property firm, Lionshead, which notched up ₤ 110,582 in properties since in 2015.

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

Kevin Clifton

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

However, the dancer has actually previously shared that it hasn’t constantly been simple, revealing in 2019 that he used to sleep in his cars and truck while attempting to kickstart his performing profession

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

His company Supreme Dance declared ₤ 104,993 in its latest possessions with ₤ 42,234 staying after expenses.

However, the dancer has actually previously shared that it hasn’t always been simple, revealing in 2019 that he utilized to sleep in his car while trying to start his performing career, while handling it with a workplace job.

Speaking on his podcast The Kevin Clifton Show, he stated: ‘If there’s no one there, I’ll sleep in my automobile and after that I can pay for two of my dance lessons tomorrow.

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

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

‘I was basically searching 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 need to blag it with the teacher and state,” Oh, there’s been a problem at the bank. I’m going to have 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 in current years, establishing a physical fitness website called Dance Shred where they charge ₤ 12.99 per month to subscribe

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

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

The couple have cashed in on their joint weight-loss over the last few years, setting up a physical fitness site called Dance Shred where they charge ₤ 12.99 per month to subscribe.

The pair sold their Kent mansion for ₤ 2.5 million previously this year and have actually because scaled down to a home more ‘suitable’ for their child Ella.

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

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

Strictly Come DancingBen CohenBBC