Strictly star who won 10 years ago pregnant with first child at 42

Strictly stars have rushed to congratulate her on the ‘amazing’ news (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA) A former Strictly Come Dancing dancer has announced she’s pregnant with her first child at 42, with several stars of the show rushing to congratulate her. Joanne Clifton was part of the pro line-up on the BBC series from 2014 until 2016, winning with TV and radio presenter Ore Oduba in her final year. She remained in the Strictly fold following her exit, providing her expertise on It Takes Two, while her brother Kevin Clifton competed as a pro until 2019. In September last year, Joanna announced that she was engaged to actor and musician AJ Jenks, who she began dating in 2020. Now, the couple have announced that they’re going to be parents – and their baby is arriving very soon. Get personalised updates on Strictly Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. In an Instagram post, they shared a picture of a ‘Baby on board’ badge, with AJ writing in the caption: ‘Can’t wait to meet…ErlingbellinghamDebrunyeLennonMcCartneyTaylorHansonHelenMcroryClaudiaWinklemanAlanCarrBuddyHollyPollyShermanPrincessFiona Clifton-Jenks. Cya in December!’ If a name ever had a huge legacy to bear, this is certainly it. (Obviously this isn’t the baby’s actual name, but we’d love it if it was). Fellow Strictly stars flooded the comment section with celebratory messages, with the recently-wed Neil Jones writing: ‘The best news. Congratulations.’ ‘Aww wonderful news!! Congratulations 🫶,’ Karen Hauer wrote, while Janette Manrara described it as ‘amazing news’. Joanne’s brother Kevin commented with a row of heart emojis, as did his partner Stacey Dooley, who he was partnered with on Strictly in 2018. AJ and Joanne have been together for six years (Picture: @aj_jenksuk) Joanne and Kevin are the only siblings to have been pro dancers on Strictly at the same time (Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images) ‘Beyond thrilled!!’ commented Sara Davies, while Fleur East added: ‘Wooo! Congratulations 🙌🔥🔥🔥.’ In 2017, Joanne opened up about her decision to leave Strictly after her victory lifting the Glitterball Trophy, saying that it was a ‘tough decision’. ‘I’ve absolutely loved every minute of it,’ she told Metro at the time. When asked whether there was any competitiveness between her and her brother Kevin, she answered: ‘I’m the more competitive one of the two anyway. ‘I haven’t always been like that, when I was younger and we entered ballroom competitions, Kevin was the competitive one, he always wanted to win and would throw a tantrum if we didn’t, and I’d be the one telling him not to worry. ‘But as I got older I got to be more competitive- he is my brother and he used to try out his wrestling moves on me so I needed to get him back for that!’ It was recently announced that Ore and Joanne were heading on a limited theatre tour together to mark a decade since their win, titled 10: Champions Reignited. ‘It’s gonna be nostalgic. There’ll be lots that people remember from Joanne and my partnership on Strictly, but it’s also a look back at the last 10 years of our lives on stage and the amazing, iconic musicals we’ve been part of,’ Ore told West End Best Friend about the show. Joanne added: ‘Expect to relive moments from 10 years ago on Strictly! Hopefully they’ll all come back when people watch our versions of those dances and it’ll bring back joy and those lovely memories that we kind of transmitted through the screen to them, but this time, live on stage!’ Deals of the Day Wuka launches the UK’s first period-proof swimwear for heavy flows Bridgerton fans are rushing to buy these new Netflix-inspired perfumes now £12 off The affordable summer wardrobe update you'll wear from rooftop drinks to beach holidays The £7.99 lip balm beauty fans love for glossy, hydrated lips just dropped four new shades This Keskine hydrogel mask could fix your summer skin Strictly Come Dancing returns later this year on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Arrow MORE: Wayne Rooney ‘should commentate Eurovision’ after ripping apart World Cup halftime show Arrow MORE: Long-time BBC broadcaster Edward Stourton who presented Radio 4 Today dies aged 68 Arrow MORE: World Cup commentator called out after mistaking Pharrell for A$AP Rocky TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.