Strictly Come Dancing’s first-ever winner Natasha Kaplinsky was approached to take part in the BBC series, but she was less than impressed and did everything she could to get out of it
It’s evolved into one of the BBC’s premier programmes with celebrities clamouring to be selected for Strictly Come Dancing, yet the first-ever champion reveals she was reluctant to participate.
Natasha Kaplinsky had recently begun her role presenting BBC Breakfast when she was invited to join the then brand-new series in 2004, which would be fronted by Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly and would pair celebrities with professional dancers for ballroom competition.
However, despite being based on the beloved series Come Dancing and destined for prime-time Saturday evening television, Natasha remained unconvinced.
Though she eventually consented and secured victory, the programme generated scandal amid speculation that she was romantically involved with her dance partner Brendan Cole. Here we take a look at her life since Strictly, her reluctance to take part and those ‘affair’ rumours…
Natasha’s life after Strictly
After the show, Natasha, now 53, continued her career at the BBC before moving to Five where she played a key role in relaunching the channel. She also served as a news presenter for ITV.
Today, the married mother-of-two serves as President of the British Board of Film Classification and largely stays away from the limelight.
Her Instagram account also states she’s President of Barnado’s and Ambassador of Save the Children as well as a “happy farmer” after switching London life for the countryside.
Several years ago Natasha and her family – husband Justin Bower, their children Arlo and Angelica, and her parents – received severe burns when a fuel pipe leak caused the boat they were on to blow up off the coast of Corfu.
Why Natasha didn’t want to join Strictly
Following her series win, Natasha alleged she was coerced into participating by BBC executives despite her serious reservations, The Mirror reported, reports Wales Online.
“I got completely forced and put into a corner at the BBC,” Natasha revealed in an interview. “I’d just started at BBC Breakfast and obviously the bosses at Strictly had a shopping list and a newsreader was on it and I was their easiest target.
“I honestly tried every single excuse not to do it, but I was cajoled and in the end I ran out of excuses. I was absolutely petrified. It’s not easy to be a female in the journalistic world.”
She went on to say: “I worked very hard to get to the BBC and I felt really concerned that Strictly Come Dancing was going to change how people would perceive me and to a certain degree it did.
“I felt very self-conscious about donning sequinned clothes and performing, because that wasn’t my job.
“My job wasn’t about me, it was about the news, so to suddenly put myself in the middle of the dance floor on a Saturday night was insane – I was the most nervous I have ever been in my life.”
Brendan Cole ‘affair’ rumours
Within weeks, viewers were commenting on the chemistry between her and dance partner Brendan, sparking rumours of an affair.
At the time, Brendan was living with fellow dancer Camilla Dallerup, who he split from following the rumours, but Natasha always maintained that nothing had happened.
“There was chemistry, of course, and I certainly fell in love with dancing, but I did not fall in love with Brendan,” she clarified at the time.
Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
#Natasha #Kaplinskys #life #Strictly #Dancing #win #costar #affair #rumours
