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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at McGill chapter.

Hide your wives, hide your children everybody, the strictly curse is back. Forget the Bermuda triangle, forget the Illuminati, this is the only conspiracy that should be occupying your minds right now. Strictly Come Dancing, Britain’s answer to Dancing with the Stars but with Andy Murray’s mother instead of Simone Biles. This reality TV show competition is possibly the largest homewrecker to ever exist. The basic idea of this curse is, at least one contestant a year who is already in a serious relationship, mysteriously leaves their partner after a few sessions of steamy salsa dancing with an attractive professional dancer, although the usual excuse given is “time-related issues.”

There is debate as to whether this is a legitimate curse, with one of the dancers Brendan Cole claiming that it is in fact a positive thing, while you would hope that the contestants are single, sparks are destined to fly. While presenter Claudia Winkleman denies the existence of the curse, claiming that the experience is just so overwhelming that people become enticed with an idea of the experience rather than an actual person. However, in my humble opinion, the curse is 100% real and the evidence is as follows:

Exhibit A:

Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole were paired together in 2004, and were the original bearers of the curse. Professional dancer, Brendan Cole broke up with his fiancee while foxtrotting with Kaplinsky, while they both denied the existence of an affair, they also confirmed that they felt chemistry when dancing together.

Exhibit B:

Boxer Joe Calzaghe ended his five year relationship after he started competing on the show in 2009 and went on to date his partner, dancer Kristina Rihanoff, while they dated for four years after the show was aired, they broke up in 2013 and the curse hit Rihanoff yet again when world-cup winning rugby player Ben Cohen ended his marriage, leaving his two daughters for Rihanoff in 2015.

Exhibit C:

Countdown presenter Rachel Riley was partnered with Pasha Kovalev, whom she left her husband whom she had been married to for a year and started dating her dancing partner.

Exhibit D:

The curse struck again this year when comedian Seann Walsh was caught kissing his dancing partner Katya Jones on the birthday of his girlfriend. Jones was also engaged when the picture was leaked and although they both apologised to the media, Walsh’s girlfriend claims she has “received nothing” by way of apology.

 

I could list many more examples of victims of this strictly curse, but I know you are probably already convinced, and remember…keep dancing!

Images obtained from: 

http://www.itv.com/news/2018-01-30/emotional-brendan-cole-reveals-to-lor…

https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/joe-calzaghe-splits-wi…

https://www.prima.co.uk/diet-and-health/sex-relationships/a40013/rachel-…

https://www.thesun.ie/tvandshowbiz/3246223/seann-walsh-katya-jones-kisse…

Sources:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-6136315/Strictly-Come-Dancing-2018-Strictly-curse.html

http://tv.bt.com/tv/strictly-come-dancing/strictly-curse-victims-romances-kevin-clifton-karen-clifton-gemma-atkinson-louise-redknapp-gorka-marquez-mollie-king-aj-pritchard-davood-ghadami-giovanni-pernice-debbie-mcgee-11364032149939

 

Katya Conrad

McGill '20

Katya is a Art History and Philosophy Major at McGill University. She is a proud Libra and an ABBA superfan. She enjoys the great indoors and her dog Tally.