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

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

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

However, while it has been assumed that Strictly specialists should make a pretty cent, and years of success, through their time on the program, for many it’s a wholly various story.

Pros who have bid farewell to the Strictly dancefloor recently have actually shared their battles with piling financial obligations and money woes, with some even dealing with the possibility of losing their homes.

Recently, Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff become the current stars to be hit by the notorious ‘Strictly curse’ after their 12-year love ended in heartbreak. MailOnline then exposed it was the severe financial difficulties they had recently experienced are thought to have lagged their split.

MailOnline peels back the glitter behind Strictly stars’ incomes to reveal the reality about how for numerous, the money stops as quickly as the ballroom lights go dark …

Kristina Rihanoff

How Strictly’s popular dancers have wound up in debt – as Kristina Rihanoff’s monetary difficulties are blamed for split from Ben Cohen (pictured on the show in 2013)

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

However, last year, the couple shared worries that they might lose their home after being struck by money concerns, with Ben laying bare their financial concerns in court.

The degree of the couple’s battles were laid bare in unusual circumstances – throughout a court appearance last September when Kristina, 47, was caught driving without insurance.

Giving proof during the case, England World Cup winning rugby star Ben, 46, confessed he had mishandled the handling of their car insurance coverage and informed how he was ‘battling to conserve his relationship and home’.

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

‘Those near 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 entrusted debilitating financial obligations after they ploughed every cent they had into a yoga studio which plunged into crisis throughout 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 cars and my home and my relationship. I’m so overdrawn.’

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

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

‘We’re 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 just another problem for me to deal with.

‘I’ve got charge card that are overdrawn. I’m overdrawn in both accounts. We have got a business financial obligation because of Covid. It’s simply another issue.’

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

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

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

Another business 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 fourth business called Soo Group Ltd which was half owned by Cohen and half owned by 3 other individuals was also included and willingly struck off on the very same dates.

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

AJ Pritchard

AJ initially increased to popularity as a candidate on Strictly Come Dancing from 2016 to 2019, leaving the program simply months before the Covid pandemic (visualized with Saffron Barker in 2019)

But AJ has considering that clarify the money problems some Strictly stars can face, and shared that he was plunged into debt when his dance tour was cancelled in 2020

AJ initially rose to fame as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing from 2016 to 2019, leaving the program just months before the Covid pandemic.

While the star had previously wanted to kickstart a new era of dance success by leaving the program, the pandemic required him to cancel his organized dance trip, plunging himself and sibling Curtis into financial obligation.

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

He said: ‘We had a company where we were running our own tour and the tour was cut brief. We paid all of our dancers because, personally, I felt like that was the right thing to do. We wound 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 hard decision to be made, but that’s what it is when you are running your own company.

‘They certainly did value it. I maybe didn’t appreciate the debt 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 pals think he’s a ‘millionaire’ after starring on Strictly, however, he explained that after they paid their taxes and VAT, the figure he makes is nowhere near that.

The dancer said: ‘I believe a great deal of people expect you to go on to Strictly or Love Island and instantly be a millionaire. Once you’ve paid your tax and your VAT, and if you’re a limited business, that’s not even close.

‘I believe transparency is a positive thing in this day and age, but a lot of people do not actually wish to talk about their financial resources.

‘And I think people are interested by cash. People enjoy to see numbers and enjoy to see good things, and a great deal of times you require to live within your own means.’

After leaving programs such as Strictly and Love Island, Curtis and AJ were thrown into a variety of huge cash deals and AJ says some people have no idea how to handle that kind of amount of cash.

Former I’m A Celeb star AJ exposed he and Curtis ‘wish to make a distinction’ and have established ‘using our own cash’ a financial investment firm called FINT to help to ‘educate’ individuals.

AJ became really open about how sometimes the TV reservations and photoshoots can suddenly stop and stars need to learn how to ‘adjust’ their profession.

AJ said it is hard when a great deal of his buddies think 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 hard I believe in our market, the show business and a great deal of other industries right now because a great deal of individuals are being laid off. It does play on your mental health if you don’t have that next job.

‘Myself and Curtis have actually invested money, from my very first salary on Strictly I have actually constantly had that money invested into various portfolios. Therefore, if I didn’t work in six 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 constantly tasks out there. It’s simply in some cases having to alter what it is you think you are going to do and adjust a bit. Adapting is hard but you do need to adapt sometimes.

‘It is necessary that individuals enter into these huge shows that they’re delighting in but they have a profession behind them like myself and Curt. We’re both professional dancers, we can go all over the world and teach.’

Every day, individuals are dealing with the expense of living crisis and AJ confessed he is no various and is frequently snapped back into the ‘real life’ as he’s noticed the significant increase in everyday products.

He discussed: ‘Every day I’m brought back to truth. I brought up at the fuel 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 genuine world.

‘I was like, ‘What 10p more costly from the other day to today’, like that’s insane. I think people forget, the expense of living and inflation’s increased.

‘Even when inflation boils down, it doesn’t imply that it returns to what it was. Life is going to be difficult 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 unfortunately died with simply ₤ 879 in his company’s organization account

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

The dancer was found dead in a London hotel in February last year, and in the wake of his passing it was revealed his firm had actually not traded for some time and according to Companies House Records was dealing with an ‘active proposal’ to be struck off.

The business Happy Feet Creative Limited was owed nearly ₤ 5,000 the last time it filed accounts, but 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 directed revenues from a ‘wide array of contracts to provide performing arts services within the media market’, documents stated.

In the months prior to his death, Robin had actually been dealing with a Fred Olsen Cruise – alongside fellow Strictly professional 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 during his time on Strictly which pertained to 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 company had not traded for some time (pictured on the show in 2013)

He likewise remembered one time he earned ‘ridiculous cash’, telling This Is Money: ‘My dance partner and I were once paid ₤ 10,000 each to stay 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 remembered in September 2022 that the ‘best’ year of his financial life was 2010, ‘my first year on Strictly Come Dancing’.

He said: ‘Suddenly, I was generating income I had only dreamt about. I probably 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 efficiencies.

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

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

Graziano Di Prima

Graziano was significantly sacked by managers last year following claims of gross misbehavior towards his previous superstar partner Zara McDermott

Following his departure from the show, Graziano attempted to cash on his appearances on the program, with customised video messages on Cameo

Graziano was as soon as thought about a preferred among Strictly fans, however last year he was drastically sacked by bosses following claims of gross misbehavior towards his previous superstar partner Zara McDermott.

The dancer later on verified 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 led to my departure from Strictly.

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

‘My extreme passion and determination to win might have impacted my training regime.

‘While appreciating the BBC HR process, I acknowledge it’s only right for the sake of the program that I step away. I am saddened 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 unable to go over at this time, however I am devoted to being strong for my household and buddies. I wish the Strictly family nothing however success in the future.’

Following his departure from the program, Graziano attempted to cash on his appearances on the show, 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 cashed in on their Strictly success …

Oti Mabuse

For numerous 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

Since then, she has looked like a judge on Dancing On Ice, and also earned a reported ₤ 200,000 charge for her stint on I’m A Star Get Me Out Of Here! in 2015

For numerous fans, Oti is thought about one of Strictly’s most effective 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 wage before she left the program in 2022, and because her exit has actually generated a substantial fortune with a string of successful TV gigs.

Ever since, she has actually appeared as a judge on Dancing On Ice, and was likewise a panellist on The Masked Dancer, and BBC’s The Greatest 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 hubby Marius Iepure, which was set up in February 2017, and has actually listed possessions of ₤ 510,953, according to its latest accounts.

In 2022, Oti likewise signed a big-money offer to work together with Bravissimo on a ‘confidence improving’ underclothing variety, and she and other half Marius likewise share a ₤ 590,000 London estate.

Between them, Oti and Marius hold ₤ 750,000 of properties in four personal business, which they co-own. including the residential or commercial property firm, Lionshead, which notched up ₤ 110,582 in properties as of in 2015.

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

Kevin Clifton

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

However, the dancer has previously shared that it hasn’t constantly been easy, revealing in 2019 that he utilized to oversleep his car while trying to start his carrying out profession

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

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

However, the dancer has actually previously shared that it hasn’t always been simple, revealing in 2019 that he used to oversleep his vehicle while attempting to start his carrying out career, while handling it with a workplace task.

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

‘I invested loads of time oversleeping my vehicle – generally 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 task after job – normal office jobs, just trying to sustain my dancer profession.

‘I was essentially looking in my wallet going, I’ve simply been fired from another task. I’ve got four lessons tomorrow; I already can’t pay for two 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-loss in recent years, establishing a physical fitness website called Dance Shred where they charge ₤ 12.99 monthly to subscribe

James Jordan left Strictly in 2013 with his partner Ola following suit two years lateer.

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

The couple have cashed in on their joint weight reduction over the last few years, setting up a physical fitness website called Dance Shred where they charge ₤ 12.99 monthly to subscribe.

The pair offered their Kent mansion for ₤ 2.5 million earlier this year and have actually given that scaled down to a home more ‘ideal’ for their daughter Ella.

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

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

Strictly Come DancingBen CohenBBC