has become a television juggernaut over the past 20 years its been on the airwaves.
From it’s humble beginnings on in the summer of 2004, the show has become a global brand. It has become a flagship Saturday night show and an integral part of the autumn/winter TV schedule.
It has also catapulted many of it’s winnners to new heights in their careers. It’s fair to say winning Strictly guarantees you will be fielding some lucrative offers in the aftermath of the show.
This ensures that celebrities battle it out to take part in the show so they can be in with a chance of lifting the coveted glitterball trophy at the end of the series.
While some winners take this new found interest in and soar, some have simply gone back to their day job and have no interest in pursusing new ventures.
As the programme is set to crown another winner tonight (December 14), Express.co.uk has ranked their previous victors and their following success – or lack there of.
Back in 2007, was best-known as a former singer from girlband Mis-Teeq. However her stint on Strictly changed her life. She won the show after being paired with professional dancer Matthew Cutler.
Two years later she was back on the show as a judge controversially replacing Arlene Phillips. She made such an impact in the role she was poached by Simon Cowell to be a judge on in 2012 where she remains to this day.
She has presented numerous TV shows since her TV win, released several albums and written even wrote a best-selling series of children’s novels. Suffice to say she is easily one of the most successful Strictly winners in the show’s history.
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defintiely took her Strictly win and ran with it. Since the show, even more documetnary winning opportunities opened up to her and she won several awards for her work.
She also signed up for a lucrative advertising deal with L’Oreal and turned her hand to acting, making her West End debut in 2:22 A Ghost Story. The mum-of-one was awarded and MBE in 2018 for her services to broadcasting.
Perhaps most importantly though she found the love of her life in dance partner and the couple have since welcomed their daughter in January 2023.
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Strictly’s oldest ever winner Bill Bailey was already a worldwide star when he won the competition. While he technically went back to the day job, he has been busier than ever since the show, touring extensively in , New Zealand, Europe and the UK.
He is due to start a lengthy run of his Thoughtifier show at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket on December 28. He has also published two books and taken on even more presenting work since he lifted the glitterball trophy.
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Had it not been for her tragic death in 2020, Caroline Flack may well have topped this list. She was a well-known jobbing presenter when she took part in the show, but her career skyrocketed after her win.
She soon turned to acting, undertaking several successful theate roles. In 2015, alongside Olly Murs, she took over presenting ‘s hit show The X Factor.
That same year she started presenting which turned her into one of the most high profile names in the country.
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Abbey Clancy was already a hugely successful model when she won Strictly in 2013 with Ajlaz Skorjanec, however her dancefloor victory helped elevate her TV career. She has since gone on to make several TV appearances, including hosting segments on shows such as This Morning.
In 2016, she published her first novel titledRemember My Name. More recently, she and husband Peter Crouch have lauched their joint podcast, The Therapy Crouch.
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