STRICTLY Come Dancing winner Darren Bennett has some tough choices to make...
After his dazzling success with EastEnders actress Jill Halfpenny in the hit BBC show, the Sheffield star looks set to be inundated with lucrative offers of work which could turn him into a household name.
Dancer Brendan Cole, who won the first series of the show, is to be paid thousands to appear in pantomime this Christmas and has been offered a role as a dance instructor in a forthcoming film.
And Darren has already been advised by the programme's panel of judges to set his sights on becoming a top choreographer for West End shows.
But for now all he is looking forward to is a relaxing Christmas with wife Lilia, parents Judith and Tony, and twin brother Dale at his family home in Todwick, Sheffield.
Darren's mum Judith said: "The last week has been a whirlwind.
"One of the judges was saying Darren should get a lot of offers out of the series, that he should be a top choreographer in London and should be producing West End shows, that his choreography is outstanding and he should be up there with all the top people.
"But Darren and Lilia are a partnership, and they work in our business in Sheffield, and they are going to be taking over the dance school in Sheffield one day when we retire.
"On the other hand he's got to grab his opportunities while they are there, and he tries not to turn down anything that comes in. So he's got a lot of thinking to do.
"He has had 20 years in the dance business and he has built up a fantastic career - he and Lilia are England's number one couple in the professional Latin field. But Darren is only 27 and dancers usually retire to take up choreography in their mid-30s. Darren and Lilia only turned pro 18 months ago. I think they would probably like a few titles under their belt before stopping competing."
Judith, who runs the City Limits Dance School in Walkley with husband Tony, said Darren and 25-year-old Lilia - Aled Jones' dance partner in the series - were hoping to enjoy a big career boost from appearing on the show.
She said: "They do hope to get some great offers for all the blood, sweat and tears they put into the series!
"Lilia was very disappointed not to get to the final but she and Aled did brilliantly to come fourth. Lilia is an absolutely brilliant dancer and she's a very clever girl when it comes to choreography, too.
"But the whole series was 24-hours-a-day seven-days-a-week for both of them. It wasn't just a case of doing the shows on Saturday nights - the whole thing was gruelling. It has been pretty hard - they haven't had any sleep for three months!
http://www.sheffieldtoday.net/ViewAr...ticleID=907655
After his dazzling success with EastEnders actress Jill Halfpenny in the hit BBC show, the Sheffield star looks set to be inundated with lucrative offers of work which could turn him into a household name.
Dancer Brendan Cole, who won the first series of the show, is to be paid thousands to appear in pantomime this Christmas and has been offered a role as a dance instructor in a forthcoming film.
And Darren has already been advised by the programme's panel of judges to set his sights on becoming a top choreographer for West End shows.
But for now all he is looking forward to is a relaxing Christmas with wife Lilia, parents Judith and Tony, and twin brother Dale at his family home in Todwick, Sheffield.
Darren's mum Judith said: "The last week has been a whirlwind.
"One of the judges was saying Darren should get a lot of offers out of the series, that he should be a top choreographer in London and should be producing West End shows, that his choreography is outstanding and he should be up there with all the top people.
"But Darren and Lilia are a partnership, and they work in our business in Sheffield, and they are going to be taking over the dance school in Sheffield one day when we retire.
"On the other hand he's got to grab his opportunities while they are there, and he tries not to turn down anything that comes in. So he's got a lot of thinking to do.
"He has had 20 years in the dance business and he has built up a fantastic career - he and Lilia are England's number one couple in the professional Latin field. But Darren is only 27 and dancers usually retire to take up choreography in their mid-30s. Darren and Lilia only turned pro 18 months ago. I think they would probably like a few titles under their belt before stopping competing."
Judith, who runs the City Limits Dance School in Walkley with husband Tony, said Darren and 25-year-old Lilia - Aled Jones' dance partner in the series - were hoping to enjoy a big career boost from appearing on the show.
She said: "They do hope to get some great offers for all the blood, sweat and tears they put into the series!
"Lilia was very disappointed not to get to the final but she and Aled did brilliantly to come fourth. Lilia is an absolutely brilliant dancer and she's a very clever girl when it comes to choreography, too.
"But the whole series was 24-hours-a-day seven-days-a-week for both of them. It wasn't just a case of doing the shows on Saturday nights - the whole thing was gruelling. It has been pretty hard - they haven't had any sleep for three months!
http://www.sheffieldtoday.net/ViewAr...ticleID=907655
lol
