Strictly star branded ‘dark horse’ by fans after their ballroom championship dance records are uncovered

FANS of Strictly are branding a certain star as a ‘dark horse’ this year, after uncovering their past ballroom experience online. Series 24 of the popular dance competition kicked off last week, and viewers are already placing their bets on who is going to stand out. Fans have uncovered that a Strictly star has lots of prior dance experience Credit: PA Graeme Hall used to frequently compete in ballroom competitions Credit: PA After some digging around, fans have uncovered that TV star and contestant Graeme Hall has participated in dance competitions for years. In an online record, scores for Graeme’s dances are listed dating all the way back to 2013 where he participated in an Over 35s Intermediate CJ Latin competition. Sign up for the TV newsletter Thank you! The most recent entry is from 2019, where Graeme competed in the Champions of Tomorrow competition for Ballroom. Fans have since found this record and have been discussing it over on Reddit. Graeme is partnered up with pro dancer Lauren Oakley Credit: PA The pair appeared to be in good spirits during the show’s launch night Credit: PA One user said: “I think he’s a dark horse. It’s such a strong cast I have more than 8 names in my Blackpool prediction but he could get there or beyond, who knows.” A second shared : “I thought having prior ballroom and Latin training was a big no no?” A third added: “Woah Grandpa Graeme has dance experience.” Graeme found his TV breakthrough in 2017 when he fronted Channel 4’s Dogs Behaving Badly. Most read in TV Channel 5 snapped up the format in 2019 for a full series, Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly, which went on to top 100 episodes. Since then Graeme, otherwise known as “The Dogfather”, has fronted The Dog Hospital, launched an Australian spin-off, hosted his Talking Dogs podcast, and written bestselling books. Off-screen, Graeme married accountant Elinor Perry-Hall in a beach wedding in Sri Lanka in March 2017, followed by a UK reception at Mallory Court in Warwickshire. The couple lived near Rugby but quietly separated in early 2023. Hall does not have any children. During their marriage, the pair shared a black Labrador/Boxer cross named Lilydog Graeme’s inclusion in the lineup for Strictly Come Dancing represents a personal milestone. During a charity event in 2012, Hall caught the dancing bug,though after suffering a stroke in 2019 his love of dancing was put on pause. He has been paired with pro dancer Lauren Oakley. Comment now