Kevin Clifton

**Kevin Clifton** was a professional dancer on *Strictly*. He joined the professional lineup in 2013 and competed every year until 2019. He is most well-known for reaching the Finale five separate times and is regarded as one of the show's strongest professional dancers.

## Biography

*Retrieved from bbc.co.uk*

Kevin's first Strictly stint in 2013 saw him team up with newsreader Susanna Reid, with the pair making it all the way to the Final, but just being pipped to the post by Abbey Clancy and Aljaž Skorjanec. He was a runner-up once again in 2014 with singer Frankie Bridge.

In 2015, Kevin made it to the Final for a third time in a row, this time with actress Kellie Bright. And yes, you guessed it - 2016 saw him land in the runners-up spot yet again with partner Louise Redknapp. In 2017 he coupled up with comedian Susan Calman, with the pair bowing out earlier than previous years in seventh place.
But it seems it was worth the wait, as he finally lifted Glitterball trophy with partner Stacey Dooley in 2018!

Kevin was born in Grimsby and trained in Ballroom and Latin from an early age. Conveniently for him, his parents are former World Champions and were kind enough to pass down their knowledge.

After making his musical theatre debut in 2010 dancing in Dirty Dancing in London’s West End, Kevin was a principal dancer of the Burn The Floor Dance Company for several years and starred in the 2019 West End production of Rock of Ages.

Former Youth World Number One and four-time British Latin Champion, Kevin has won International Open titles in Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Japan, France, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland and Belgium... pretty much everywhere then!

## Strictly Career

### Series 11

In 2013, Clifton appeared on series 11 of *Strictly Come Dancing* and was partnered with newsreader, Susanna Reid. He had previously auditioned for the show with his partner Karen Hauer but they had only needed a female dancer at the time, so he was instead employed as a choreographer for the show in 2012. In the 2013 Blackpool performance of the show he was joined in the opening dance by his family. On the same show, Reid and Clifton scored 39 points for their Paso Doble, putting them at the top of the leaderboard and becoming the highest score of the series at the time. He also won the 2013 *Strictly Come Dancing* Pro Challenge, becoming the Guinness World Records holder for most Drunken Sailors in 30 seconds. The couple's popularity ensured they reached the final on 21 December, where they finished as runners up with Natalie Gumede behind model Abbey Clancy.

### Series 12

In 2014's series 12, Clifton was paired with Frankie Bridge from the pop group, The Saturdays. They were declared the runners-up with Simon Webbe, beaten by Caroline Flack and Pasha Kovalev.

### Series 13

In 2015, Clifton, recently married to co-professional dancer Karen Hauer, returned for the thirteenth series of the show and was partnered up with *EastEnders* actress, Kellie Bright. After receiving the only two perfect 40s from the judges in the final (and Clifton's first two perfect 40s), they became runners-up with Georgia May Foote, behind winners Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani. This is Clifton's third time in the final, setting a record for the most consecutive times a professional has reached the final and also come in second place.

### Series 14

In 2016, Kevin was partnered with singer Louise Redknapp. The couple's consistent high scores and memorable routines made them fan favourites, allowing them to reach the finale without landing in the dance-off. While they seemed likely to take the Glitterball Trophy, Ore Oduba's underdog status against them and Danny Mac allowed him to take the win.

### Series 15

In 2017, Kevin was partnered with comedian, television presenter and writer Susan Calman. Despite generally weak performances, they reached the final where Kevin was eliminated for the first time in his *Strictly* career, placing 7th.

### Series 16

In 2018, Kevin was partnered with television presenter, investigative journalist, and media personality Stacey Dooley. The couple's attitude and Stacey's genuine attempts to improve made them fan favourites, compared to professional dancers Ashley Roberts and Faye Tozer being unfairly allowed to compete. They reached Kevin's fifth finale where after a somewhat underwhelming final round, were declared the series winners over Ashley, Faye and Joe Sugg.

After the show, the pair began dating and have been together since 2019.

### Series 17

Kevin was partnered with Anneka Rice for series 17, where the pair were eliminated in week 3.

## Gallery

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* Kevin and Susanna's publicity photo
* Kevin and Frankie's publicity photo
* Kevin and Kellie's publicity photo
* Kevin and Louise's publicity photo
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## Trivia

* Before joining Strictly, Clifton previously worked as an assistant choreographer, and also featured on *Burn the Floor*.
* Clifton is frequently called "Kevin from Grimsby".
* Kevin holds the record for most finales reached on *Strictly Come Dancing*, reaching the finale five times.
	+ He is the first professional to lose four finales before winning one.