How Strictly’s Popular Dancers have actually Ended up In Debt

For viewers tuning into BBC’s megahit Strictly Come Dancing, they would be right in assuming that its stars should be earning a substantial fortune.

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

However, while it has actually been presumed that Strictly professionals should earn a quite penny, and years of success, through their time on the program, for many it’s a wholly different story.

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

Recently, Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff become the most recent stars to be struck by the infamous ‘Strictly curse’ after their 12-year romance ended in heartbreak. MailOnline then exposed it was the severe monetary difficulties they had actually recently are believed to have actually been behind their split.

MailOnline peels back the shine behind Strictly stars’ incomes to expose the fact 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 debt – as Kristina Rihanoff’s monetary troubles 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 headings when she began a love with her star partner Ben Cohen.

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

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

Giving evidence during the case, England World Cup winning rugby star Ben, 46, admitted he had made a mess of the handling of their automobile insurance coverage policy and informed how he was ‘combating to save his relationship and home’.

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

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

The couple were entrusted to debilitating debts 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 combat not to lose everything – to lose my vehicles and my house and my relationship. I’m so overdrawn.’

Last year the couple shared fears that they might lose their home after being hit by cash issues, with Ben laying bare their monetary issues in court (visualized in 2021)

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

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

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

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

Records also 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, considering future liabilities, in its last accounts for the period 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 company called Soo Purple Mountain Ltd which is also 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 fourth company called Soo Group Ltd which was half owned by Cohen and half owned by three other individuals was also included and voluntarily struck off on the exact same dates.

A 5th business called Yoga Wellbeing which is 100 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 first increased to fame as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing from 2016 to 2019, leaving the program simply months before the Covid pandemic (envisioned with Saffron Barker in 2019)

But AJ has because clarify the cash troubles some Strictly stars can face, and shared that he was plunged into financial obligation when his dance trip was cancelled in 2020

AJ initially increased to fame as a participant on Strictly Come Dancing from 2016 to 2019, leaving the program simply months before the Covid pandemic.

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

Speaking with MailOnline, AJ clarified the cash concerns some Strictly stars can deal with after leaving the show.

He said: ‘We had a business where we were running our own trip and the tour 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 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 difficult choice to be made, but that’s what it is when you are running your own business.

‘They certainly did appreciate it. I perhaps didn’t appreciate the financial obligation that I was left in but, hello, it’s a decision that was made.’

AJ said it is hard when a great deal of his friends believe he’s a ‘millionaire’ after starring on Strictly, nevertheless, 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 lot of individuals expect you to go on to Strictly or Love Island and quickly be a millionaire. Once you have actually paid your tax and your VAT, and if you’re a limited business, that’s not even close.

‘I believe openness is a positive thing in this day and age, but the majority of individuals don’t actually want to discuss their financial resources.

‘And I think people are fascinated by money. People love to see numbers and enjoy to see nice things, and a lot of times you require to live within your own means.’

After leaving programs such as Strictly and Love Island, Curtis and AJ were tossed into a variety of big cash offers and AJ says some people have no concept how to handle that type of amount of cash.

Former I’m A Celeb star AJ revealed he and Curtis ‘want to make a distinction’ and have actually established ‘utilizing our own money’ a monetary investment firm called FINT to help to ‘inform’ individuals.

AJ ended up being really open about how often the TV bookings and photoshoots can unexpectedly stop and stars need to find out how to ‘adapt’ their profession.

AJ said 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 no place near that

He continued: ‘It’s truly tough I believe in our industry, the show business and a great deal of other industries today due to the fact that a lot of individuals are being laid off. It does play on your psychological health if you don’t have that next task.

‘Myself and Curtis have actually invested cash, from my very first pay check on Strictly I’ve always had that money invested into various portfolios. Therefore, if I didn’t work in 6 months time, I do have cash there that I can make use of if I need it.

‘And at the end of the day, there are always jobs out there. It’s simply often having to alter what it is you believe you are going to do and adjust a little bit. Adapting is difficult but you do need to adapt sometimes.

‘It is necessary that people enter into these huge 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 dealing with the cost of living crisis and AJ confessed he is no different and is routinely snapped back into the ‘genuine world’ as he’s observed the significant increase in everyday products.

He described: ‘Every day I’m reminded reality. I brought up at the gas pump today and the diesel was 10p more expensive due to decisions that have been made much higher up than my paycheck. That’s the genuine world.

‘I resembled, ‘What 10p more pricey from the other day to today’, like that’s insane. I think people forget, the cost of living and inflation’s gone up.

‘Even when inflation comes down, it doesn’t suggest that it returns to what it was. Life is going to be difficult for a great deal of people this year and I don’t think it’s going to get any easier.’

Robin Windsor

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

Despite pulling in an outstanding ₤ 100,000 as a star of Strictly, Robin Windsor tragically passed away with simply ₤ 879 in his business’s company 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 firm had not traded for some time and according to Companies House Records was dealing with an ‘active proposition’ to be struck off.

The company Happy Feet Creative Limited was owed practically ₤ 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 celeb in 2015 and 2016 he held more than ₤ 23,000 in the company and advanced himself ₤ 35,000 from the company, which was repaid.

The business had actually funnelled incomes from a ‘wide range of agreements to supply carrying out arts services within the media industry’, documents stated.

In the months prior to his death, Robin had been dealing with a Fred Olsen Cruise – alongside fellow Strictly professional Gordana Grandosek Whiddon – and published 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 exposed his firm had actually not traded for some time (envisioned on the show in 2013)

He likewise remembered one time he earned ‘ridiculous money’, informing This Is Money: ‘My dance partner and I were when paid ₤ 10,000 each to stay 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 monetary life was 2010, ‘my very first year on Strictly Come Dancing’.

He said: ‘Suddenly, I was generating income I had actually just dreamt about. I most likely made about ₤ 100,000 that year – not simply from Strictly but from work off the back of the show such as the tour and private performances.

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

Discussing his Strictly exit, Robin said he ended up being so ‘bitter’ about not being enabled to return that he could not bear to view it, and he went into a ‘stable decline’ after leaving the show.

Graziano Di Prima

Graziano was considerably sacked by employers last year following claims of gross misconduct towards his former celebrity 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 once considered a favourite among Strictly fans, however in 2015 he was significantly sacked by bosses following claims of gross misbehavior towards his previous superstar partner Zara McDermott.

The dancer later on confirmed and regretted his actions against Zara.

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

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

‘My extreme passion and determination to win might have affected my training program.

‘While respecting the BBC HR procedure, I acknowledge it’s just 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 news stories, and I take on board the level of sensitivity of the situation.

‘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 buddies. I want the Strictly household absolutely nothing but success in the future.’

Following his departure from the program, Graziano tried to cash on his appearances on the program, with customised 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 actually cashed in on their Strictly success …

Oti Mabuse

For many fans, Oti is considered among Strictly’s most successful exports, with the dancer crowned series champion for 2 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 fee for her stint on I’m A Celeb Get Me Out Of Here! last year

For lots of fans, Oti is considered among Strictly’s most effective exports, with the dancer crowned series champion for 2 years in a row, in 2019 and 2020.

The dancer was reported to be on a ₤ 410,000 salary before she left the show in 2022, and given that her exit has collected a huge 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 best Dancer, adding 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 established with her spouse Marius Iepure, which was established in February 2017, and has actually listed properties of ₤ 510,953, according to its newest accounts.

In 2022, Oti likewise signed a big-money deal to work together with Bravissimo on a ‘self-confidence boosting’ underclothing range, and she and spouse Marius also share a ₤ 590,000 London mansion.

Between them, Oti and Marius hold ₤ 750,000 of assets in 4 private companies, which they co-own. including the property company, Lionshead, which notched up ₤ 110,582 in properties since in 2015.

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

Kevin Clifton

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

However, the dancer has actually previously shared that it hasn’t constantly been simple, revealing in 2019 that he utilized to sleep in his automobile while attempting to start his performing profession

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

His firm Supreme Dance stated ₤ 104,993 in its most current assets with ₤ 42,234 staying after bills.

However, the dancer has previously shared that it hasn’t constantly been simple, exposing in 2019 that he used to oversleep his cars and truck while trying to kickstart his carrying out profession, while handling it with a workplace task.

Speaking on his podcast The Kevin Clifton Show, he said: ‘If there’s nobody there, I’ll sleep in my car and after that I can pay for two of my dance lessons tomorrow.

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

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

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

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

Business: James and Ola Jordan have actually capitalized their joint weight reduction recently, establishing a fitness site called Dance Shred where they charge ₤ 12.99 each month to subscribe

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

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

The couple have actually cashed in on their joint weight-loss in current years, setting up a physical fitness site called Dance Shred where they charge ₤ 12.99 each month to subscribe.

The pair sold their Kent mansion for ₤ 2.5 million earlier this year and have considering that downsized to a home more ‘suitable’ for their daughter Ella.

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

They earn additional money by selling signed pictures for ₤ 9.50 while Ola offers dance lessons to fans at ₤ 300 a pop.

Strictly Come DancingBen CohenBBC