KEVIN Clifton says he begged Strictly bosses to be Stacey Dooley’s dance partner ahead of their winning pairing.
The pro star, 37, confessed to Stacey, now his girlfriend, as they chatted on his latest podcast.
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He said he called in a favour from choreographer Jason Gilkison, with whom he had worked on the Burn The Floor tour.
The revelation comes despite BBC bosses claiming that neither celebs nor pros can choose their partners.
Kevin told Stacey he had heard she’d tried out for Strictly, adding: “I was a fan of your documentaries and for the last couple of years I’d tweeted you a few times, going ‘I really liked your documentary’, and you were like, ‘Oh cheers Kev!’
“So yeah, I was like ‘Stacey Dooley’s wicked. She’ll be really interesting… great just to talk to about her experiences.
“Once I heard you were doing it, I said to Jason, ‘Remember that time when I had broken shins and it was the difference between Burn The Floor going bust or going to Broadway?
“‘You (Jason) were like ‘I need you to give a big performance tonight’ and I was, ‘Yes I’ll do it. I’ll take lots of ibuprofen and go on stage’.”
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When they were later reunited at BBC, Kevin said to Jason: “Do you remember that time and what I did for you?”.
He added: “Jason was like ‘What do you want?’ and I said, ‘Well I’ve heard Stacey Dooley may be doing Strictly. If there’s any chance you could push for her to be my partner…’”
Kevin told the podcast: “It’s something I don’t normally do.”
The couple went on to win the 2018 series.
Several months later Stacey, 33, left personal trainer Sam Tucknot, her boyfriend of five years, for Kevin.
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A source added: “Kevin had eyes for Stacey straight away and asked Jason to pull some strings. Everyone could see the chemistry from the get-go.”
Thrice-married Kevin quit the show in March after seven years.
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Blackpool KO risk
STRICTLY Come Dancing’s key Blackpool weekend is in jeopardy as bosses move towards a closed-set studio with no live audience.
The episode sees pairs perform in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom in front of a 1,000-strong audience.
A source said: “Bosses are feeling forced to rule it out.”