The pain never goes away....

Jill Halfpenny.
Holly Valance.
Sophie Ellis Bextor.
Matt Baker
Ricky Whittle

and Dom Littlewood*





*only joking

Gethin for me! I met him at the Ideal Home Show and he was lovely. What a gent!

Favourite Ramps

Runners up Zoe, Denise Lewis, Alesha, Colin Jackson, Austin and Judy Moo for likeability

And the best dancer, by a distance

One of my other absolute favourites (although was never going to win) was the lovely Michael Vaughan. Loved him and Natalie.

Have never really disliked too many, wasn't keen on Denise or Victoria Pendleton and Lisa Riley outstayed her welcome by about 4 weeks and REALLY couldn't stand Claire King in 2006 but for the most part I haven't minded them.

Well ... I was very fond of Ali but would've been happy for Ricky to win .. if she couldn't He was a brilliant dancer.

Only started watching from season 6

For various reasons ...

Gavin Henson
Mark Benton
Matt Baker
Tom Chambers

Chelsee
Kimberley
Judy Moo
Ali Bastian
Caroline
Kara

Harry Judd, Chris Hollins, Matt Baker, Alex Jones, Abbey Clancy, Holly Valance, Ashley Taylor-Dawson, Caroline Flack, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Patrick Robinson, Rachel Riley, Fabrice Muamba and Zoe Lucker.

Kara, Gethin!!!!!!! AUSTIN!!!!!!!!, Kelly Brook, Darren Gough, Ramps, Zoe Ball, St Jill of Halfpenny, Jodie, (she was my second favourite after Austin that year and I was furious she and Ian went out ahead of that boring simpering Bleakley), Chelsee, Abbey, Chris Hollins, Aled, Kimberley, Sophie...must be more but anyway..

I just really enjoyed watching all of them and seeing their love of dance blossom. In their own ways they were all great.

I actually can't think of many I have actively disliked, Dom Littlewood is obvious, Susanna Reid, and Bleakley annoyed the hell out of me and she seems to have mercifully disappeared off TV now, but that's about it. The rest have been neutral.

GETHIN! Gethin "Oh, I didn't know it was see-through" Jones.

And my favourite Strictly moment ever was from a training VT with Julian Clary where he'd had to get a bit down and dirty with Erin (a woman, no less) - "I wouldn't be surprised if she's pregnant now," he said. Still makes me laugh ten years down the line.

Oh, and Jan Raven's exit. Even better than Bacofoil.

Just the three - Colin Jackson, Colin Jackson and Colin Jackson.

NEVAH FORGET (One day Goughie, I will come for you...)

There have been others but none is as special as the first.

Watched from the start and Ramps is still my favourite male celeb and Alesha the female.

Liked lots of others enough to vote for them, but Mark and Alesha are well out in front.

Not really disliked anybody, but been annoyed at a fair few for lots of reasons like being the judges' favourite and lapping it up. I had an irrational annoyance towards Kelly and Lisa Snowdon because I felt they only cared about what men thought and so were letting the side down (the side being women). It was as if they liked being just eye candy, even though they were intelligent women. Looking back I can see they were quite good dancers.

Mark Ramprakash, Kara, Abbey, Harry Judd, Lewis and Rachel Stevens (mainly for her Rhumba), Ricky Whittle.

Was Cherie, the one who did that amazing Rhumba with James in the black and white dress? That was an amazing dance.

I loved watching Matt Di Angelo, those salsa shimmies were perfection!

Kara & Artem and Alesha & Matthew are two of the most special partnerships the show has ever had, and probably still my two favourites.

I also loved Ramps & Karen, Harry & Aliona, Kimberley & Pasha, Matt & Aliona, Cherie & James and Rachel & Vincent

For the partnership more than the dancing: Chris & Ola and Dave & Karen

And before I started watching, but judged on Youtube videos: Jill & Darren, Zoe & Ian and Denise & Ian.

Hashtag (I don't know what that means but I believe it adds emphasis) Zoe Ball is the best evah (I believe that is how it is spelt when you want to add even more emphasis). FACT (I understand that if you do this it makes your assertion undeniably correct).

Ramps. Austin Healey. Jill Halfpenny,Natalie,Chris Hollins,Aled Jones,Gethin Jones,Mark Wright,Caroline,Colin Jackson, Zoe & Chelsee

Alesha and Matthew still to this day stand apart. Every dance a guaranteed knock-out.

Best Tango, ChaChaCha, Showdance, VW, Quickstep in the SCD vaults all belong to Alesha.

Same. Loved Mark & Karen's routine to Hot, Hot, Hot

Favourite: Alesha & Matthew......

followed closely by Ramps, Austin WOZROBBED (I love seeing all the old members of the Austin & Erin App thread popping up in solidarity ) & Kara

Loved (but had no hope of winning): Gavin & Michael

Reading through here I'm reminded of others I really liked too.

Mark Benton and Julian Clary. They were both lovely men and not the greatest dancers but I always enjoyed watching them.

The question posed is "favourite celebs on Strictly ever".

I have two and they're both from this series:

Tim Wonnacott, the most gentlemanly gentleman who has ever been on Strictly and who gave the absolute best leaving speech appreciating Natalie.

Judy Murray, who turned out not be be reserved or stern, but such a very nice lady with a great sense of humour.

No bitching, no criticisms of others, no arrogance, no sensational headlines from either.

The question wasn't anything to do with dancing - just favourite celeb. And those two are mine.

Thinking about I guess there's a sort of pattern whereby you can bracket together a lot of my favourite celebs.

'more mature actress' [Laila Rouass / Holly Valance / Sunetra Sarker etc]
'no-nonsense sportsman' [Darren Gough, Mark Ramprakash, Gavin Henson etc]
'overcriticised ringer' [Kelly Brook, Natalie Gumede, Pixie Lott etc]
'eloquent journalist' [John Sargent, Chris Hollins, Susanna Reid etc]

Then there are those who have just impressed me with their dancing: [Rachel Stevens, Kara Tointon, Harry Judd etc]

Mark Ramprakash
Alesha Dixon